


The Hydra Disaster

by Rhino (RhinoMouse), RhinoMouse



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: A Lot of Dark Stuff Is Implied, Bobbie Wants a Vacation, Bobbie is Living Her Worst Life, Cause Hydra, Cause I Needed Disposable Evil, Daisy needs a Hug, Evil Major Character Death, Evil Science, F/F, Fluff and Humor, From the Outside it Looks Real Bad, Fucked Up Implications, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra Skye | Daisy Johnson, Hydra is evil, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jemma Needs Common Sense, Jemma Simmons is a Terrible Spy, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor Character Death, Murder, OC Hydra Agents, Post-HYDRA Reveal, Protective Skye | Daisy Johnson, Science Does Not Work Like This In Real Life, Science Experiments, Some angst, Undercover Bobbie Morse, Undercover Jemma Simmons, Unethical Experimentation, Unethical Medicine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:42:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25759789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhinoMouse/pseuds/Rhino, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhinoMouse/pseuds/RhinoMouse
Summary: Jemma's time undercover at Hydra gets far more interesting and Important when she gets pulled into project World Killer. She is not prepared. But SHIELD needs her to succeed. Which would be easier if her boss's boss's boss, Agent Daisy Johnson hadn't taken an interest in her. It would also make Agent Morse's life easier if the scientist she's supposed to protect would stop breaking every rule of spy craft. Every. Single. Rule.
Relationships: Bobbi Morse & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 186
Kudos: 501





	1. Welcome to Project World Killer

**Author's Note:**

> This fic really ought to be rated T but I went with M cause Hydra. Also I haven't taken a science class since college, I'm so sorry for the evil science. I did my best, but science is not my area so like.... take the science with a grain of salt.

Jemma Simmons tapped her foot as she waited for the office coffee pot to finish up. It was a bit of a waste of time, but she had seen photos of a failed experiment. It had been horrific. She had needed to take a moment so she didn’t lose the contents of her stomach on her Hydra supervisor and blow her cover. The familiar sounds of coffee perking were comforting. 

“Oh good more coffee.” Kenneth exclaimed in a quiet victory while setting his Hydra branded coffee mug down on the counter. 

She sighed, she missed having mugs that didn’t have the stupid skull with tentacles. Or clothing without it branded on it. Just not having to be surrounded by the icon of the organization that represented actual evil. “It’s not quite done Sir.” 

“Oh none of that Sir stuff.” He waved off. “How’s the hemoglobin tests going?” 

She forced a smile on her face. “Quiet well. I’ve managed to increase the hemoblobin’s effectiveness at oxygen transference by 3%. Early results, but they look encouraging. We might be able to begin testing on rats soon.” 

“Push it further. They’re not interested in increases that small.” He waved off. “You can think big now.” 

Jemma opened her mouth to explain a 3% increase was ambitious, only to fall silent. They went straight from rats to humans here. “Of course Sir. Bad habits.” 

“I hear you. So many ethics slowing down progress. It’s a prison of our intellects.” He pulled the creamer out of the fridge. “Creamer?” 

She forced her smile not to drop. “Of course, thank you.” Jemma reminded herself of Coulson’s advice, she needed to make friends. “Are we allowed to know what the new lab space being cleaned out is for?” 

“New project. They might pull some of us for it.” He pulled the coffee pot out and filled his mug and then her’s. “Just don’t go poking your nose in if you don’t want to lose it.” 

Jemma poured some cream into her coffee. “Well I need to see if I can push the hemoglobins some more.” 

“Let’s hope you impress me with it.” He gave her a look before taking the creamer from her. 

She swallowed. “Of course.” Jemma ducked her head slightly and bustled out of the kitchen. It was time to retreat to the science. Keeping her eyes down she avoided Kenneth, so much for making friends. Then walked straight into a very solid body. 

“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” Jemma jumped backwards cringing as she saw the coffee, still steaming, soaking the woman’s jacket. “Oh gosh.” 

The woman raised a single eyebrow, her lips quirked up in an amused smile as she unbuttoned her thick red Hydra jacket, pulling the fabric from her skin. “Well hello to you too.” 

“I’m so sorry! Are you ok? Oh gosh.” Jemma grabbed the woman’s arm and pulled her into the lab kitchen. “We need to get some cold water on that!” 

She dropped her coffee mug on the counter while grabbing a hand towel and holding it in the sink and turning on the water. With quick motions she wrung it out and turned back to the poor woman she’d just dumped scalding coffee on. Jemma pressed the towel to the woman’s thin tank top. “I’m sorry, your jacket’s just ruined isn’t it?” 

“I’m sure I can find a new one.” The woman replied, the slightest tinge of laughter to her voice. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced, Doctor?” 

Jemma’s eyes widened as she realized the jacket the woman was wearing was a very specific jacket. The type of jacket only high level Hydra agents, the ones that everyone scurried out of the way of, wore. Her mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry as she looked at the woman properly for the first time. “Simmons.” 

The Hydra officer smiled, looking like she wanted to laugh. She was the youngest high level operative that Jemma had seen. “Agent Johnson, nice to meet you Doctor Simmons.” Johnson took the cold towel from her hand. “So do you make a habit of spilling coffee on people Doctor Simmons?” 

“Oh no.” Jemma waved her hand, god was her heart going to beat out of her chest? She wouldn’t murder her for spilling coffee right? “Was just going back to keep working on my hemoglobins.” She saw the blank look on Agent Johnson’s face. “Hemoglobins are a protein in blood that transports oxygen and iron. I’m trying to increase the oxygen to increase muscle stamina when in an anaerobic state.” She bit her lower lip. “Again I’m so sorry for spilling coffee on you. I should have been watching where I was going.” 

Johnson tilted her head to the side. “How would you increase the rate of bone healing?” 

“Theoretically? Well you’d want to increase clotting to increase the inflammation and callousing stage of bone healing. Then increase the proteins and necessary vitamins with some steroid dosage to increase the speed of internal functions.” Jemma considered that. “There’s also been some exciting new progress with coral to replace bone. Really there’s so many options.” Jemma smiled properly as she looked at the Hydra officer. 

Johnson rocked back on her heels. “Well isn’t that interesting. Have a good day Doctor Simmons.” She turned and walked off.

Jemma blinked and then breathed out. “Huh.” She hadn’t died. And the bone question was interesting. Realistically, it was even something she could probably get more progress on than her hemoglobin project. 

Wanding back to her lab, Jemma considered it. She’d have to use anabolic androgenic steroids for the type of bone growth she’d be looking for. Hemoglobins would help with early clotting, so her current research could justifiably be introduced and worked into a bone growth study. It certainly would have wide applications and the implications of Hydra having it weren’t even that horrifying. 

As soon as she got back to her lab station, she set her hemoglobin research aside and pulled up the breakdowns of Hydras most effective steroid cocktails. 

Jemma sighed as she collapsed face first into her bed. It had been a week since the new project had started and she still didn’t have the faintest clue what it was. Instead, she had made a bone growth steroid that cut down the recovery time for a broken bone from over a month to a week. It would probably get canned by Kenneth and she would be doomed to entry level information forever. 

Because Hydra wanted to kill people, not heal them. Her groan was muffled by the pillow. She shouldn't even be here. Prove herself? She'd accomplished nothing, left Fitz and….

She pressed her eyes closed so tight it hurt. No, she was going to go back and get access to valuable Intel for SHIELD. Even if it meant sucking up to Kenneth. Stupid, ethicless, Hydra goon that he was. 

////

Jemma sipped at her latest mug of coffee. Maybe if she increased the vitamin D recommendation for daily intake it would help… Honestly making a health plan for whoever ended up the human test subject for her new bone growing steroids was probably pointless. Still, she could at least try. It was the ethical thing to do. Well as ethical as she could afford to be once the tests in her rats came back positive. Even so, she had another hour before she needed to cut open another of her rats to check how the bone growth had been developing. A rat a day kept Hydra away. 

“Dr. Simmons!” Kenneth bustled over to her. 

She looked up from her x-rays of the last batch of rats. “Did you need something Sir?” 

“They want you, upstairs.” His eyes were darting and rattish. 

Jemma froze. “What? Did something happen? I thought my last round of rodent tests was deemed promising? Right sorry, that’s probably classified...right. Shall we?” 

“Come on. Just don’t…” He winced and then turned, leading the way towards the elevator. 

She straightened her black lab coat and followed him. This was good. She was completely not about to be shot and buried in a shallow grave for being a spy. Oh, she wanted to hyperventilate. Jemma swallowed as the elevator doors closed. Her eyes widened as she saw they were going to the second to the highest floor. “Have you ever been to this high of a floor?” 

“No.” Kenneth looked rather pale. 

Jemma gave a jerky nod. “Oh.” She was wide eyed as the door opened, and standing there was Bakshi. 

Bakshi’s pressed suit, and smarmy face was painfully polite as he stood there. “Oh good, this is the scientist with the bone regrowth project then?” 

“Yes Sir, this is Dr. Simmons.” Kenneth stepped ever so slightly to the side so that Jemma wasn’t behind him. 

Bakshi gave the slightest look down his nose at Jemma. “Well, you better follow me Dr. Simmons.” 

Jemma and Kenneth stepped forward only to halt in their tracks as Bakshi stopped. “I said Dr. Simmons.” 

“Sorry, I just assumed as her supervisor...I’ll just leave now.” Kenneth patted Jemma’s shoulder awkwardly before scurrying into the elevator. 

Jemma forced the fakest smile on her face as she looked at Bakshi. 

He sniffed and then continued walking down the hall.

She followed at a quick clip, his longer legs making his pace slightly awkward for her, but she followed along. The hallways were open, lots of WWII photos framed and placed on the walls. The trim was real oak though. She could tell these were mostly offices, but at least one of the rooms they passed was a private lab. 

Bakshi opened a door and held it open. “After you Dr. Simmons.” 

“Thank you.” Jemma forced a smile at the second in command under Whitehall. She realized she’d just been brought into a conference room. 

Looking around, she saw at one side towards the head of the oval table was Agent Johnson from a couple weeks ago with the coffee. There were six other lab coat wearing scientists, sitting around the table. 

Johnson looked up. “Coffee girl?” Her lips twitched, but her eyes were cold as she looked over at Bakshi. "And Whitehall's pet."

"A pleasure as always, Agent Johnson. I brought up the scientist who made the bone steroids. Now I believe you have some people to kill?" He sneered at Johnson.

The woman unfolded from her position, somehow making her around five foot six frame look intimidating and waved him off. “There’s always people for me to kill. I’m guessing you have a target? Or am I supposed to just start with you?” 

Jemma shrank back as she saw Bakshi’s face twist with something ugly. 

He finally twitched, face going back to his typical polite smarminess. “The file in my office, unless that’s too far a walk for one of your illustrious skills.” 

Johnson loped towards the exit of the room. She paused slightly, eyes flicking to Jemma, and then her concentration was back on Bakshi, a certain smugness to her. “Well after you, Sir.” 

It was horrifying, Jemma didn’t breathe properly till the door shut behind them. She sighed, turning her attention to the room. It struck her that she still wasn’t sure what on earth she was doing in this room. Other than the obvious fact that it had something to do with her bone steroids. 

A scientist with a bushy grey mustache stood up. “Just ignore Bakshi and Johnson, we answer to Johnson. But the two of them have hated each other for years. Just stay out of the way of their sniping and you’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t told what I’m here for exactly?” Jemma smiled nervously. 

He chuckled. “My name is Dr. Kargaroff and I’m the head scientist on project World Killer, welcome to the team Dr. Simmons. We were very interested in the healing factor you were able to synthesize with steroids. Have to grab talent like that when it comes.” 

Jemma swallowed. “It’s an honor to be pulled for a specific project.” She felt her face doing something… hopefully it wasn’t suspicious. “What is project World Killer?” 

“Oh, come see the files you’ve been given clearance to see.” Kargaroff waddled a bit as he waved her over to a seat. 

She sat down carefully and raised a hand in greeting. “Hello.” 

A slightly greasy, narrowly built scientist grinned at her. 

Kargaroff cleared his throat as he took his seat again. “So, the subject shows and has reported accelerated bone growth after being provided with the new steroid cocktail.” 

“Wait, human subject?” Jemma froze as she opened her file. “But it wasn’t even close to ready for human testing.” 

The slightly greasy scientist scoffed. “It didn’t kill the rats, that’s plenty good enough for a human subject.” 

“Right…” She stared at the test results. 

Jemma sighed in relief as she saw Coulson in her apartment. “Hydra has a super weapon program and I don’t know how far they are on it, but it’s called World Killer and I got pulled for the team. Which is insane because the steroid project wasn’t ready for human testing! It’s not even just a matter of ethics! It’s a waste of resources to go straight to human trials.” 

“Well, that doesn’t sound good.” He set a plate of cooked food on the table. “Really do you eat anything that’s not take-out? How do you even afford that?” 

“Hydra pays better than SHIELD.” Jemma sighed pulling two beers out of the fridge. “They pulled me for a specific experiment.” 

Coulson nodded. “What’s the experiment?” 

“I think they have an enhanced, whose powers break their bones.” Jemma sighed as she sat down at her table. “They’re trying to find a way to fix the issue so the enhanced can be weaponized fully.” 

Coulson sipped from his beer. “Do you know any specifics of this enhanced individual’s powers?” 

“Strength to a degree their tendons are ripping the bones to pieces maybe?” She winced. “I’ll let pass everything I can, but the Hydra officer in charge of the project is Agent Johnson. I’m not sure, but I think she’s of the same rank as Bakshi. They were antagonistic towards each other.” 

Coulson hummed as he set a plate for himself and picked up a fork. “Keep your head down, they’ll pay more attention to you now that you’re on a special project. This sounds big. Good work.” 

“I’ll keep eating fish tacos for lunch.” She tipped her chin up in determination as she mentioned how she was passing information most days. “I can do this sir.” 

////

Jemma stopped at the lab and cleared her throat. “Dr. Kargaroff, I had an idea. You wanted to make the bone steroid internal. What about a gel inside the bone? We could use agar hydrocolloids to form a gelatin. It's organic and won’t interfere with the steroids. I mean the polysaccharides unique structural make-up, especially the anhydro-bridges, would be less damaging to the homeostasis of the subject.” 

“You want to make the steroid a hydrocolloid gel?” He nodded slowly. “It could be injected into the bones themselves.” 

She blanched. “What? No, that would be horrific. The trauma from a procedure like that would be catastrophic. You could end up permanently disabling them. The anesthesia with that mix of chemicals could be fatal.” 

“That’s why we’re a team. You just make the gel, we’ll worry about getting it into the subject.” He patted her shoulder. 

Jemma breathed in. Hydra, no ethics. She was going to assist in getting a person killed. Plus, she was going to have to stop showing it. 

She carefully brought her gel compound to a simmer over the bunsen burner. Jemma leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “Excellent.” 

“Excellent? And here I heard you were having ethical concerns.” A light female voice interrupted her. 

Jemma spun around on her stool. “Wha-Ma’am.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry, you startled me.” 

“Hmm.” Agent Johnson smirked as she looked at her. “So what’s this about ethical concerns. Doctor Burns was worried you might even lack the stomach to stay with our organization.” 

Her eyes widened. “No ethical concerns here. Just worried about wasting human test subjects by rushing the process.” 

“It’s alright, you’ve only been with us for what two months now?” Johnson pushed her hands into the pockets of a leather jacket she was wearing. Which what? “You’ll get used to being able to just do the science without worrying about things like responsible timelines. Besides on this project in particular, we don’t have to worry about finding volunteers for those tests.” 

Jemma forced a smile on her face. “Of course, it’s all just very new. You know how it is, ethics classes in college, and then medical school, then at work. It’s just a lot to take in being able to just do the science you know?” 

“Wouldn’t know, never graduated high school myself.” Johnson shrugged. “Still, this is my project, what is your recommendation for it?” 

Jemma’s eyes widened, her fingers tightening, but she breathed out slowly. “I think it’s very promising though I hardly know enough to make a recommendation. I’m not even aware of the enhanced abilities of the subject.” 

“You were able to judge that they were enhanced from what little you have access to?” The Hydra officer’s face was so disarmingly non-threatening. 

She felt herself blink. “I… well it’s obvious isn't it? The white blood cells in the sample I was given have a different molecular structure. It’s slight but significant. Not to mention, the nature of the bone damage described in the files was incongruent with what I know of physical trauma. So either you’re trying to heal someone who's been tortured by unknown means or you’re trying to develop an enhanced individual into a more effective weapon. Or at least that was what I assumed?” 

“Well, aren’t you surprisingly smart and cute.” Johnson chuckled. “Your work has even been useful. I think you’re going to fit right in here given enough time.” 

Jemma forced her smile to stay in place. “Of course, I couldn’t hope for anything else.” 

“Isn’t that fortunate.” Johnson took a step back. “Do be careful with those ethical concerns of yours. I would hate to lose someone as bright as you from the team.” 

She laughed. “We wouldn’t want that.” 

“Not after you added so much already.” Johnson chuckled. “Good talk Doctor.” 

Jemma was going to die, she was just so fucked. 

////

Jemma watched as a group of five Hydra goons in tactical gear walked past their lab. They all paused to salute Agent Johnson, before falling into step with her. It had taken two weeks on the thirty ninth floor to put together, but she had put it together. The Hydra goons with guns answered to Johnson, while the suits answered to Bakshi. It was terrifying. Also, the gel program was horrifyingly making progress. 

“Your gel can be inserted if heated to an even 98 degrees.” Dr Pratt made a check mark on his clipboard. “

Jemma sighed, pushing some of her hair behind one ear. “Have you made any progress on the anesthesia issue?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear, Johnson ordered that scrapped. The subject can go through the procedure without it.” Pratt shrugged.

She paused. “Why? That doesn’t even seem practical? The subconscious muscle twitches from the pain would be… the needles would have to be reinforced to keep from breaking and the damage could be catastrophic to surrounding muscle tissue.” 

Prat looked around the lab before leaning in. “Subject has enhanced healing. They’ll heal from the damage. Makes it all easier on us though.” He elbowed her and laughed like that was supposed to be a funny in joke. 

Jemma forced herself to smile and let out the ghost of a laugh. “Yes that would allow for a faster timeline.” 

“And if this procedure is successful you might even be brought onto the team full time. Bump you up from a level 1 to a level 3 agent. We get to do the cool stuff here. Not your waste of time hemoglobin production tests.” He scoffed, while writing on his clipboard. “At this rate we should be able to run the procedure in a week.” The overpowering smell of Pratt’s cologne wafted over to her as he winked at her. 

Jemma bit her lip, but then asked the question that had been bugging her. “Why do we answer to Agent Johnson? If I’m allowed to know of course.” 

“Huh? Oh, she’s in charge of the biology and security departments here. Bakshi runs mind control and the weapons. Johnson is the real deal though.” He lowered his voice. “We stick with her and our ticket is written ya know?” 

“Yes, I know what you mean.” Jemma straightened. “Well, I should get back to my gelatin.” 

He nodded, easily swanning over to the next team member's station for the daily report. Jemma was going to be sick. No anesthesia. Johnson was a monster. The pain of literally drilling hundreds of holes into every single bone in the subject’s body before forcing the liquid gel into the bone could kill a man. If the subject didn’t go into shock and die it would be a miracle. 

Jemma turned back to her bunsen burner swallowing back bile. She needed the access she would get by being assigned to this project completely. Project World Killer was something she needed to find out about so it could be stopped. A person… possibly several people would die for this and there was nothing she could do.

Jemma paused as she saw the machine Richards and Smith had built for the procedure. It had 2,065 needles. There was a ‘thoughtfully’ placed leather strap for the subject to bite down on. There were dozens of thin metal straps to immobilize the subject. 

It was barbaric, Johnson had to be a psychopath to have pushed the test forward when this was the result. Jemma was finding the more they smiled, the more horrifying they were. 

"Magnificent isn't it?" Pratt said from next to her. "They really outdid themselves with this design. The procedure should take twenty minutes with this puppy."

Jemma nodded, her face felt strained. "It's truly something alright. Will we have a medical doctor on standby in case the subject crashes?"

"That's your job. Last medical doctor before you was one of Bakshi's spies. He was the subject for one of our more experimental procedures. His screams were fantastic. And Burns may be a surgan but he’s better with the dead." Pratt's eyes turned dreamy.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "I'm a biochemist not a medical doctor." 

"Close enough. Not like the subject needs a human doctor anyways." He chuckled.

"Simmons." Johnson's voice called from across the room.

Jemma’s spine straightened as she turned and walked towards her boss. "Yes ma'am?"

"You wrote up a recommendation for post procedure care for the subject?" Johnson had a raised brow.

She tipped her chin up. "This is a lot of effort for the subject to just die on us from a preventable infection. A shot of penicillin before and after the procedure, and morphine once the temperature spike lowers so they're less likely to go into shock. I don't think any of us want to be wasting our time after all this effort."

"No morphine but I'll allow the penicillin." Johnson set aside the recommendations.

Jemma's jaw clenched. "I'm sorry I don't think you understand how much pain the subject will be in."

"Pain is irrelevant to progress." Johnson waved her off.

She couldn't let it lie though. "The subject is going to go into shock and likely seize out from this procedure already because of the decision not to sedate them. Should the subject survive this, it is vital they don't fall into shock or a dissociative state. It could cause their body to reject the injection. If you want a successful test, these steps are necessary. Ma'am."

"I said no Doctor Simmons. That’s final." Johnson eyed her, and then left the room.

Jemma ground her teeth. This was such a disgusting waste. She turned in her heel, ignoring Kargaroff who was gaping at her and marched back to her station. 

////

Jemma smiled slightly at the sight of Keneth walking towards her. She raised her hand in greeting. "How's the lab been?"

"Nothing interesting. How's working upstairs?"

She let her shoulders slump. "The science is amazing, but the test today is going to fail and if we just spent another week working through a new anesthesia cocktail it might have a chance."

"Non-science upper management forcing the deadline?" He asked sympathetically. 

Jemma nodded. "It's just so frustrating that she won't listen."

"Maybe you're just not cleared for information that changes the viability?" He offered. "Besides, if the science is good there will be more tests. Precautions can be taken if needed. And it sounds like you're only losing one test subject. And dissecting them could be useful for the next round of testing."

She suddenly wasn't hungry for her lunch anymore. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up Kenneth." 

“If you get permanently assigned to the team you’re my ticket up.” He chuckled. “Just don’t mention me till you’re on Johnson’s good side. You’re a jumpy thing. I have no idea how you’ve survived Johnson so far.” 

Jemma paused. “Survived?” 

“Well yeah.” He shivered. “Last time she came into the level one lab she shot Doctor Jenson in the head. It took hours to get the blood off the walls.” 

She swallowed. “I probably shouldn’t have yelled at her should I?” 

Kenneth froze. He got up and took a step back. “I uh...I have some paperwork I need to get to.” 

Jemma just waved as he booked it. If she was smart, she would go straight to the nearest train station and get out of this cursed place. She was going to be made. No, she straightened her slacks, this was her mission.

Jemma jumped as a file was dropped on her lab station. Her head snapped up to Johnson. “Yes?” 

“The files you’re allowed on the subject. Read up, test is in an hour.” Johnson strode off, to speak with Dr Kargaroff. 

She gingerly picked it up and flipped it open. It was a good thing she hadn’t eaten lunch. As she paged through the photos and redacted notes she felt sick. 

The subject was classified as Inhuman, a human with Kree ancestry. By injecting Kree blood into the subject they could be brought back from near death. This led to the subject being without a heartbeat for eight minutes at age of nineteen. After this incident, another Inhuman with healing abilities was involved in a heart transplant. With the healing factor of the other Inhuman somehow transferred to a degree, there hadn’t been another near death incident. 

Actually, she was going to be sick. The subject controlled vibrations but the powers shattered their bones when used on a large scale. It was horrific. Based off the dates, and blacked out sections this was at least the minimum of the hundredth procedure the individual was going under. It did make the stupidity and lack of concern Johnson had been showing make more sense.

Of course, it didn’t matter if they’d tested it properly. The subject would almost certainly survive. It wasn’t a stupid risk. It was a ruthless disregard for the pain of the subject. Why use anesthesia if the risk of shock was negligible after how much Kree blood had been injected into the subject over the years and their heart could regenerate. It was cruelty on a level Jemma was incapable of putting into words. 

The subject wasn’t human, so Hydra treated them worse than Jemma treated her lab rats. It was horrific, unethical, and cruel. Plus, she wasn’t getting this file so she could keep the subject alive. It was so she’d shut up. Hydra thought her concern was irritating and unfounded based on the science and that there was no need for pain medication, the subject wasn’t human. 

Jemma barely kept from running to the bathroom to puke. Her knuckles turned white as she forced herself to hold still. It was barbaric. She wanted to scream at them, but it would get her killed. Her safety, SHIELD’s ability to fight evil had to be put first. This was why Coulson hadn’t wanted her to go undercover. She understood. 

Jemma was quiet as she confirmed that the steroid gel was simmering at 98 degrees. The others were excitedly talking as they prepped the lab for the test. She was just trying not to think about how she was going to have to look one of the most horrifically tortured Hydra test subjects she’d heard of in the eye. Not only that, but after looking that person in the eye, she was going to have to watch and help torture them. 

“Exciting isn’t it!” Prat nudged her, his greasy hair slicked back extra neatly. 

She forced a pained smile. “Yes, very exciting.” 

“This is always the best part.” He looked her up and down, it felt slimy. “You should put on a new lab coat. You’ve got something on the hem.” 

Jemma glanced down. “I’ll just go do that.” She forced her smile not to drop. “I’ll be right back.” 

She made quick steps to the coat rack, grabbed a fresh lab coat, and B-lined herself to the bathroom. Breathing deeply, she braced herself against the counter. She looked in the mirror. Keep it together. 

Jemma ripped her black Hydra lab coat off and pulled back on the fresh one. Straightening the sleeves, she took a moment to fix her collar. She looked back up at the mirror. She gave herself a sharp nod. 

As she re-entered the lab, she smiled tightly as she moved back to her station. She carefully adjusted the dials. “Smith, did you check the tubes yet?” 

“Just did.” The tight laced man replied. He glanced at the vat of simmering gel. “Temperature stable?” 

Jemma nodded. “It’s holding at exactly 98.” She glanced around the lab. “When do we start?” 

“As soon as Johnson gets here.” His eyes were sharp, and slightly glinting as he looked away from the machine. 

Dr. Richards cleared his throat, his New York accent as irritating as always. “Smith recheck the electrical connections.” 

Smith’s eye twitched slightly, but then he went to work double checking the machine’s electrical systems. 

Then the door opened, and Johnson came striding in, in full Hydra uniform. She looked around then nodded. “It’s your lab Kargaroff.” 

“You all know your jobs,” Kargaroff ordered before pulling out the IV and uncoiling the tubing. 

Jemma frowned. She started to open her mouth to ask where the test subject was when her words died in her throat. Johnson, Hydra high ranked officer, awful person, was stripping in the middle of the lab. 

Johnson hung up her jacket on the rack. Then was unbuttoning her pants and dropping them like there weren’t scientists just… standing around. The woman seemed completely without a care about the whole thing. Jemma tried not to look at all the skin that was on display as Johnson shucked her tank top off, leaving her in a simple sports bra and underwear. 

Then Jemma saw it. Sure, her eyes were first drawn to the eye catching tattoo of asian influence covering her heart and spreading out over Johnson’s left shoulder and upper bicep. She had several other geometric designs that were strong and eye catching, but Jemma was a doctor, and she spotted the scarring before her eyes could look away. 

Johnson was covered in surgical scarring. There was a particularly horrifying Y incision scarring down the woman’s front, but it was hardly alone. It looked like most of her body had been cut open surgically. The scars were thin, white things that were barely noticeable, likely from the healing ability and Kree blood. 

Once undressed, Johnson moved to the machine without flinching. 

“Right, right.” Kargaroff shuffled over and started guiding Johnson into the contraption. He looked over at Jemma. “My fingers can’t quite get these latches. Dr. Simmons if you would.” 

Jemma walked over and carefully began to lock the metal restraints around Johnson. “If it’s too tight, let me know so we can adjust it.” 

“That’s cute.” Johnson just straightened her head as the band for around the skull was snapped into place. She didn’t even flinch. 

Jemma felt sick as she continued to snap the restraints down. Finally, she pulled back and triple checked the temperature on the simmering concoction they were about to inject into a fully conscious woman. 

Pulling on a pair of latex gloves, she picked up the penicillin syringe. She carefully checked it, and then stepped back. With a quick wipe, she disinfected Johnson’s shoulder. “This may sting a bit.” 

Johnson just stared at her in amused disbelief. 

Her cheeks flushed at the stupidity of that. The woman was about to have over two thousand needles injected into her bones. A penicillin shot was nothing. 

Jemma quickly injected the antibiotic into the woman’s shoulder and stepped back. 

Prat finished his fiddling with the dials and then all of them were waiting. 

Kargaroff stepped forward and snapped the leather bite pieces into Johnson’s mouth. “If this works we’re one step closer to achieving our perfect weapon.” He hit the switch. 

Jemma startled as the needles plunged in, but she kept track on the monitors on the woman. Her reaction to the pain wasn’t… it wasn’t normal. Then the room started to shake. 

“Easy, control.” Kargaroff snapped, he looked at Jemma. “Begin introducing the compound.” 

She twitched slightly, but she carefully began the injection. The muffled screams began then. 

Jemma watched as Kargaroff, Pratt, Richards, and Smith huddled around the holographic results arguing over theoretical possibilities. However, she moved to the machine and hit the release switch, the restraints all unlatching. 

She barely was able to catch Johnson before her limp body hit the floor. Jemma grunted, but managed to waddle and drag Johnson, who was built like a rock. She dropped Johnson down on a glass coffee table with a final grunt. 

Closing her eyes, she caught her breath, and then took off her black lab coat and laid it over Johnson’s shoulders. 

Johnson rocked slightly, she was vaguely conscious still, at least able to keep herself somewhat upright. 

Jemma grabbed a water bottle and twisted the lid off, dropping it somewhere. She gently took the back of Johnson’s head, and pressed the bottle to her mouth. “Just sip.” 

Surprisingly, Johnson agreeably did as told, and sipped obediently. Her eyes had cracked open at some point. 

Jemma sighed in relief at Johnson showing signs of consciousness. “You’re doing good.” She got up and grabbed a clean paper towel and wetted it before whipping the smeared blood from the needles being pulled out and whipped off the woman’s face. “You’re doing really good.” 

She picked up the second penicillin shot and quickly injected it into the woman’s other shoulder. “See, you’re doing great.” 

Johnson blinked slowly, but still remained silent. 

Jemma pulled a sucker out of one pocket and pulled the wrapper off and stuck it in Johnson’s mouth. “You’ll need the sugar. I have a meal plan written up for you. You’re going to need sugar, protein, and a lot of vitamins in the coming days.” 

It was slow, but Johnson reached up touching the lab coat. Her brow furrowed slightly. “Why?” 

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and in something warm and comfortable. If you won’t take morphine, we can at least get you as comfortable as possible.” Jemma carefully pulled Johnson’s sweaty hair back into a sloppy ponytail. 

Johnson’s eyes closed again. “You can go look at the science. I’m not going to die.” Her voice was hoarse and rough. 

“That’s got to be painful.” Jemma brought the water bottle back to Johnson’s mouth. “Here you go ma’am. I can go look at the readings after we’ve got you taken care of.” 

Johnson blinked but sipped obediently. She pulled the sucker from her mouth once Jemma had taken the water bottle away. “I’m in my underwear, you can skip calling me ma’am.” 

Jemma’s shoulders loosened for the first time in hours, only for her eyes to settle on the Hydra brand on Johnson’s right clavicle.


	2. The Hydra Way of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma begins to find her place inside Hydra.

Jemma carefully put her new level three Hydra badge in her purse. She opened her apartment door and nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of Agent Johnson standing there. The sound she let out was most definitely a squeak. 

“You are a jumpy thing aren’t you?” Johnson’s lips were quirked up as she held out a to-go coffee cup. “I got your regular.” 

She twitched slightly but plastered on a smile. Smiling was what she was supposed to do in this situation right? “You got me coffee?” 

“With cream.” Johnson held out the drink. 

Jemma cautiously accepted it, it was even from her regular place. “Thank you. Did you need something ma’am?” 

“Oh, we’re not in the office, and you’ve seen me in my underwear, Daisy please.” Johnson stepped out of the way so Jemma could get out of her apartment. 

She cautiously stepped out and locked her door. “Is there a reason?”

“Well you’re on the team, so we’re doing your introduction to the project.” John… Daisy winked. “And you could say I have a vested interest in the scientists who’ll be cutting me open regularly.” 

Jemma sipped her coffee choosing to ignore that comment, only to smile as she realized it really was her exact order. “I’m excited to be part of the team.” 

“Of course you are.” Daisy snickered as she fell into an easy lope besides her. “So, your bone goop, surprisingly useful work.” 

Her brow furrowed. “You could have let us develop an anesthesia for the test.” 

“What’s the point? The test didn’t need it, and the best results are found when you can measure the subject’s reactions.” Daisy winked at her again. “Not my first rodeo.”

Jemma frowned as she watched where they were walking. “But you wouldn’t have to be in agony? Plus, that wasn’t a procedure where you feeling the pain was useful in any way.” 

“Still, arguing with your superior. I suppose that means I’ll always know your qualms.” Daisy shot her a glance over her own cup of coffee. “Though you should be careful, not all of us are so chill about being challenged.” 

She bit the inside of her cheek, but… Daisy or Johnson or whatever hadn’t punished her for speaking her mind. Perhaps, if she phrased it like it wasn’t about the ethics. “Rushing for results against the health concerns of the subject is reckless and a waste of resources. Without your abnormal medical history, the test would have been doomed to failure. A constant stress in a subject can lead to poorer results. If that test had failed, would I have a new level three badge?” 

“No, you wouldn’t.” Daisy was looking at her curiously. 

Jemma nodded. “Exactly. I like good science. I don’t know when reasonable precautions became inconvenient but they’re important.” 

“Practicality not ethics.” Daisy’s eyes twinkled as she looked away. “Interesting. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind next time you have a recommendation.” 

She breathed out slowly in relief. “Good, I can’t do my job if no one listens to me.” 

“Well today you won’t be doing your job at all. You’ll be joining me in the sub-level lab and then you can be my secretary while I deal with the paperwork from yesterday.” Daisy let out a low groan. “As a newbie you’re the new paperwork bitch.” 

Jemma blinked, she could do paperwork. Paperwork was good. “I always liked to have things neat and tidy. A place for everything, and everything in its place.” 

“Is that a British thing?” Daisy looked at her curiously. 

She laughed softly. “No, it’s just how I like things.” 

“Well aren’t you adorable.” Daisy sipped at her coffee, tone bemused. 

Jemma glanced to a flash of red from the park they were walking past. She stopped. “Oh look it’s a turdus migratorius!” 

“Uh… what?” Daisy’s face was sharp, her hand resting on the handle of her sidearm. 

She laughed, waving her hands. “It’s not a threat. It’s a bird, song bird, red breasted American robin.” 

“You…” Daisy relaxed, her hand dropping back to her side. “So, the new biochemist likes birds. Should I be expecting to find them in the fridge?” 

Jemma’s cheeks heated. “I only left the cat liver in the fridge one time.” 

“Dead cats, what, your neighbor's pet make too much noise?” Daisy chuckled.

She blanched slightly. “No, it was hit by a car.” 

“Sure.” Daisy sipped at her coffee, the sarcasm thick in her voice. “You should enjoy today. We’re testing out how well the gel works.” 

Jemma looked at her curiously. “New x-rays?” 

“What? Yeah before and after we shatter my bones.” Daisy hummed, not even blinking at the mention of the procedure. 

She felt bile at the back of her throat. "That's unnecessary, we need just measure how long the damage from the needles takes to repair itself. Harming you is redundant after the damage of the procedure itself."

"Cute but wrong. We need to know how it affects my abilities and this is the fastest way to check that. I'm not human, no need to empathize Doctor Simmons." Daisy grinned at her as if she'd just told an excellent joke.

Jemma caught the other woman's shoulder. "Your human in every way except for 1% of your genocode, and my name is Jemma. If you’re going to say ridiculous things, you should at least use my proper name." 

Johnson was eerily still, it left Jemma sweating nervously, but then Johnson huffed. "Well aren't you just a mystery. I'm going to figure out what makes you tick Jem-Ma. I haven't met a scientist like you before." 

"So, you'll hold off at least a week for your bones to heal from the needles?" Jemma insisted cautiously. 

Daisy snorted. "No, I have a mission. We need that data for next week. Which means the deadline for the test is lunch."

"Are you ever going to listen to me? I am your doctor." She attempted.

"Fine, you can give me those vitamin shots if you want, but our first stop is breaking some bones." Daisy's eyes lit with a weirdly excited light. "Don't look so glum, I get to use my powers."

Jemma forced herself to smile. It wasn't comforting that this was information Coulson needed. "Well enhanced abilities are always exciting."

"That's the spirit." Daisy slapped her on the back as they entered their office building. 

Jemma smiled as she saw Robert was working security today. "Hello Robert, did you have a good weekend?" 

He started to smile spotting her, only to pale and jump to his feet, hands shooting out in salute. "Hail Hydra!" 

"Doctor Simmons is with me this morning, feel free to ignore procedure." Daisy barely glanced at the man, just waltzing through the metal detector, ignoring it as it went off. "We're on a schedule Simmons." 

Jemma shut her mouth and jogged towards the elevator, flinching as the detector went off as she went through. As soon as she was in the elevator Daisy scanned her badge and hit the eighth level basement button 

She swallowed, she’d never been allowed in the basement before. “Why are we going to the basement and not the lab?” 

“Whitehall likes this building, and honestly moving is a pain. So many boxes and someone always loses something and then I have to kill them. It’s just a whole thing.” Daisy finished off her coffee. “Besides, do you know how much funding I got from VonStrucker for my basement?”

“VonStrucker as in the Supreme Head of Hydra?” Jemma asked, her stomach felt like it was going to fall out.

Daisy snickered, her lips curling up. “Wow, you are painfully new.” She chucked her empty cup into the face of a Hydra agent with a submachine gun, as the door to the elevator opened. “Does science just not give the Hydra 101 to the newbies?” 

“There wasn’t exactly an orientation.” Jemma watched as the hall with a half dozen heavily armed Hydra guards snapped to attention. Some basically leaping out of Daisy’s way. 

It was as she watched the third one straighten, nearly painfully as he shouted out a Hail Hydra, that Jemma swallowed. It’d been just so… it had been different since she realized Daisy was Subject 2. She’d forgotten that Daisy was still Agent Johnson, high ranking Hydra official, and a person who could literally order her killed if her status as spy was revealed. It was sobering. No amount of coffee, horrific experiments, and snark was going to make Johnson not Hydra. 

They reached an honest to god blast door at the end of the hallway. Johnson pressed her thumb to a biopad. As soon as it beeped green, the doors opened. “We’ll have to add your data to lock before we leave.”

Jemma looked around wide eyed as the door shut behind them, with a definitive bang. The walls were made of hexagons, similar to the ones used to keep enhanced beings contained at SHIELD. They were all bowed out, slightly dented. The damage was uniform. The force necessary for that type of damage was… Numbers ran through her head. “You’re capable of more force than a nuclear warhead.” 

“Oh, I’m so much scarier than that.” Johnson chuckled and walked towards the shipping container-sized weights of pure iron. “You might want to step back.” 

Jemma quickly moved to a small, protected area with a blast proof glass. There on the steel table was a file. She opened it and read through the numbers. “Fuck.” Hydra had a super weapon capable of cracking entire continents….and theoretically might even have the force to destroy the world. The World Killer program was literal. They were making a weapon capable of destroying the planet, and that weapon was a living breathing person.

She watched in awe and terror as Daisy disintegrated giant blocks of iron, the very air vibrating as she did it. 

Jemma looked at the cracks in Johnson’s bones. Interesting. 

“So what’s the verdict doc? I break enough of them?” Johnson asked playfully, while hopping off the x-ray table. 

She frowned. “You channeled your powers back into your bones. Most of these fractures are splintering in the opposite direction.” 

“You should finish the file. Unless I use around the amount of energy as a nuclear explosion my bones don’t break anymore.” Johnson pulled a Hydra combat jacket on. 

Jemma marked down the fractures, and then slid the x-rays off the lightboard. “Light activity, no combat, no heavy lifting, no trauma or power uses till I give you the all clear.” 

“Well, isn’t that just dandy. You brits do say dandy right?” Daisy grinned. 

She stuck a lollipop into Johnson’s mouth. “Only rich brits sixty years ago.” Jemma picked up the vitamin syringe. Grabbing a disinfectant she looked at Johnson. “I need access to your bicep.” 

“You’re bad at foreplay.” Daisy replied around her lollipop while shucking her jacket down one arm, showing her bicep. “Stick me.” 

Jemma rolled her eyes. She quickly disinfected a square of skin, and then stuck the syringe in and injected it. “Everyday for a month. And please at least don’t punch a punching bag.” 

“You’re cute.” Daisy yanked her jacket back up. “Now, science time over, which means you get to play at super overqualified secretary.” 

Jemma dropped the syringe in the biohazard box. “Do I need to take notes?” 

“Wait, you’re serious?” Daisy laughed. “Sure and if I need an out you can get me out of boring jobs. And yes, I’m abusing my authority.” 

She shook her head. “How do you even hold rank when you act like a child?” 

“It's a deep and dark secret.” Daisy re-hooked her sidearm to her belt. “Come along duckling, I have a new security team to brief.” 

Jemma followed along at Daisy’s heels. “Shouldn’t I be in the lab? I’d be far more useful in the lab. I’m a scientist not a secretary.” 

“Did you miss the part where you’re the newbie?” Daisy stuck her hands in her pockets. “Not optional newbie. You can work on my blood samples tomorrow.” 

Jemma sat on a cold stool in the corner of the metal room. There were twenty individuals in the maroon Hydra jackets denoting level five security officers. Five of them had the insignia differentiating them as senior officers. Daisy was in the simple black tactical Hydra uniform, typically worn by level three field agents. But she still had the complete attention of everyone in the room. 

Daisy came to a stop, her pacing ceasing. “You all know how I feel about traitors. So imagine my surprise when I found an encrypted signal from Sarkissian. Which means, one of you is spying on Whitehall for The Viper. Someone’s been naughty.” 

Every single officer’s eyes widened, and Jemma could feel the sheer terror and stress suddenly clogging the room. 

“I get it, her big fancy missiles and operation may seem bigger, flashier than Whitehall. But there’s a reason Whitehall has been a head of Hydra since the Red Skull founded us. Do you know why?” Johnson’s eyes were sharp, not a single man or woman daring to speak. 

Johnson pulled out her side arm. “Whitehall believes in progress by fire.” She raised her gun, aiming it straight between the eyes of a man with the slightest bit of curls in his gelled brown hair. “McKinnon.” She dropped the aim of her gun and fired. 

McKinnon screamed. Falling to one knee, his other kneecap a gory hole. He whimpered before cutting off his sounds of pain by biting down on the inside of his cheek. 

“Let’s be blunt. I don’t care why, but I’m curious. What was the price for your loyalty? Tell me what The Viper offered you for your loyalty and I’ll shoot you in the head. Don’t tell me and we’ll inject you with my DNA in an attempt to duplicate my powers.” Johnson’s face was cold. “You have three seconds.” 

The man looked up at Johnson and then spoke. “Two million and a position at level six within her operation.” 

“Too bad she’d have killed you if you had delivered with Whitehall's secrets.” Johnson raised the gun and fired. 

McKinnon’s corpse collapsed to the ground. His brains splattering against the pants of the officers behind him. 

Johnson holstered her gun. “Well, that was unpleasant. The next person to accept a bribe from a different Head I’m giving to Bakshi.” 

There was a collective shiver. Jemma couldn’t quite move her eyes away from McKinnon. He’d spied on Whitehall for a different Hydra Head and he was dead. That fast, no chance for rescue, or discussion. That was her fate if anyone realized she was SHIELD. She swallowed, her throat dry. 

“You, Agent Morse.” Johnson turned to a tall agent, with long neat waves of hair in the second row. “Congratulations, you just got promoted. First assignment, cut out the rest of the rot. If The Viper got in one informer, she has more. Let’s not waste the new test subjects that just volunteered themselves for research.” 

“Ma’am.” Agent Morse saluted. 

Johnson turned away. “Come Simmons, I have bureaucracy to do and as my paperwork bitch that means you’ve got bureaucracy paperwork to do for me.” 

Jemma startled up to her feet. She scurried after Johnson, her eyes flicking to McKinnon’s corpse one last time. Her heart was in her throat as she felt Agent Morse’s eyes on her back. 

Jemma kept her head down as she followed Johnson into Whitehall’s office. The top office of the top floor. This was so not what this infiltration was supposed to be. She was supposed to be doing science, sending coded notes about Hydra biological weapons programs to Coulson. Not taking notes in a meeting between Whitehall, Johnson and Bakshi. This was so past what she was trained for she didn’t know what on earth to do. 

Whitehall’s office was a classic office space, except for the woman strapped to a contraption, staring at a screen that pulsated with colors. She was clearly alive based on the occasional sound. It was sick. No one else in the room was reacting to the tortured woman. 

Sitting behind his desk was Whitehall. He wouldn’t have looked out of place in a high school counselors desk, only with a slightly nicer suit. His white hair was neatly cut, everything about him neat and orderly. Standing by the bookshelves was Bakshi, his silk pocket square green, his hands in his pockets. Daisy had dropped onto the couch, sprawling over the thing like a rebellious teen. Jemma stayed stiffly in the corner by the door.

“The security leak?” Whitehall asked. 

Daisy folded an arm behind her head. “Main threat neutralized, I’ll have the rest of the infected sent to your little world of horror by the end of the week Bakshi.” 

“I did have some new options to explore.” Bakshi replied, a cruel light in his eye.

“Hmm.” Whitehall’s eyes focused on Daisy. “And the bone procedure?” 

Johnson shifted. “I fractured my arms earlier. We’ll know if the gel is working by tomorrow, if it is I’ll be back to 100% by the end of the week.” 

“An improved turnaround phase. Introducing this bone gel to our regular agents is at what stage?” Whitehall asked, setting his pen down. 

With an easy grace, Daisy lifted her feet and set them on the coffee table in front of the couch. “A month, two if we have insufficient human subjects to test on.” 

“Good, Bakshi how are your little spies in our friend The Viper’s ranks doing?” His cold dead gaze turning to the smarmy man. 

Bakshi straightened his suit jacket. “Excellent, I have had ---”

Jemma carefully marked down the last of the information Bakshi had been reporting onto the notes Johnson had told her to take. It was… it was a lot. Horrific, so unethical she couldn’t even describe it, but what she could tell Coulson from this meeting alone was enough to justify her entire mission. 

“I’ve been considering injecting the centipede serum into some subjects. If we can develop a small enough dose so as to be non-lethal it could be of an advantage to the World Killer program.” Whitehall looked at Daisy. “Thoughts?” 

Daisy nodded, long since shifted to a slightly more respectable sitting position, though her legs were still on the table. “The super soldier serum might further increase the healing factor and increase the vibrational force that can be used.” 

“No.” Jemma blinked as she realized she’d just said that. 

Whitehall looked over at her as if seeing her for the first time. “And you are?” 

“Doctor Simmons with the World Killer program, I made the bone growth steroid and gel.” Jemma wished she could sink through the floor. 

Daisy was looking at her like she was insane. 

Whitehall stood, straightening his jacket as he stood. “A most excellent development for the project.” 

“Thank you sir.” She swallowed as she wished she could go back in time and take back her answer. 

He made a soft ‘ah’ sound. “So, you disagree with the centipede serum for continuing the World Killer subject?” 

Jemma licked her lips. “Well, from what I’ve seen you don’t need more power.” 

“No? You think we’ve maxed out the subject’s potential?” He asked, his voice softly conversational. 

She formed her words slowly. “I haven’t had time to extensively read through the subject’s power development… but unless you wish to crack the planet itself, or have her crack other planets, increased power is redundant.” 

“Possibly, and what would you do to continue the program?” He looked at her curiously. 

Jemma swallowed. “Control. Theoretically Johnson can affect the vibration between molecules. That could be used to create heat or cold, at its most controlled the possibilities are...well extensive. Even in combat, isn't control better than sheer power?” 

“I see why my protege likes you.” He chuckled. “So, what aspect of control do you think could most easily be weaponized Doctor Simmons?” 

Jemma replied with the first thing that came to mind. “She could selectively vibrate the brains of Hydra’s enemies to mush.” 

“Huh.” Whitehall leaned back. “Interesting proposition.” He looked over at Johnson. “A good choice for the program, you continue to find useful talent for me.” His eyes tracked back to Jemma. “Very well. I’ll give you a month to assist my subject in developing fine control of it’s abilities. Should you have success, that may be increased. Get her the files needed to understand your powers better would you?” 

Johnson dropped her feet to the floor and stood up. “I’ll take care of it.” She threw an unreadable look towards Jemma. “I wasn’t aware my newest member already had so many interesting ideas for the project.” 

////

Bobbie Morse loosened her Hydra jacket’s collar as she turned on the hologram device in her apartment. “Sir.” 

“Bobbie, good to see you’re settling in. How was your first week at the Whitehall installation?” Coulson’s blue, holographic form appeared in the room. 

She considered that. “We have a problem. There is infighting inside Hydra right now. I don’t have the details, but I’m on a rat hunt. And I saw your scientist. She’s too jumpy. Someone is going to report her as a possible plant within two weeks of this witch hunt.” 

“Do you think anyone is suspicious of her yet?” Coulson frowned slightly. 

Bobbie considered that one. “Not that I’m aware of, but Officer Johnson has taken an interest in her and Johnson is a loyalist. She is infamous for sniffing out spies. If her interest is less boredom and more suspicious Simmons is already made.” 

“Why not take her into interrogation already if she’s suspicious?” Coulson asked carefully. 

She twitched. “Johnson has a reputation, she’s typically effective, brutal, and gets things done quickly with as little fanfare as possible. But she has been known to… play with her food so to say. Tease out more information when she feels like it.” 

“Simmons doesn’t know anything to tease out. She doesn’t even know you’re in there with her. It might protect her cover if she can’t give anything away.” Coulson was an irritating optimist sometimes. 

She nodded. “Possibly, but you should have an extraction team ready at all times. If Simmons can keep her cover for another week, Johnson should get bored and move on. Pulling her would be the safest. Her undercover training is… clearly limited.” 

“She was in a weekly briefing in Whitehall’s office today. The report I just took from her is more than some agents bring in after years undercover. We need her with Project World Killer and the threat it presents to the world. The stakes changed as soon we found out Hydra had a weapon capable of destroying the planet.” Coulson sighed. “If I thought Simmons could do it I’d have ordered her to neutralize the threat.” 

Bobbie swallowed. “I’m not in a position where I can neutralize the threat.” 

“We need the information.” Coulson loosened his tie. “Hydra is winning and if we’re to survive we need to be able to fight back.” 

It was true, which made the stakes of this mission so much higher. “Let’s hope clearing up the internal Hydra leak will take the suspicious off Simmons.” 

“If you need an extraction I’ll have a team in the area on alert.” Coulson agreed. 

Bobbie noted that Johnson didn’t have a jumpy scientist being dragged around behind her when the woman entered the room. “Ma’am.” 

“What do you have for me?” Johnson looked through the one way glass. 

She handed over the evidence to her superior officer. “Tucker Schmit. Good little Hydra boy, except his pager was set to The Viper’s chatter channel. He’s a level two security personnel, tried to seduce me into ignoring his guilt.” 

“Sounds like a charmer.” Johnson scoffed. “Well, his impending fate is a gift to humanity’s gene pool then.” She flipped through the man’s personnel file. “Do you think he has any information of value?” 

Bobbie eyed the man. “Worth the effort of getting it out of him? Not particularly.” 

“Stick a bow on him and send him to Bakshi then. You have any other leads?” Johnson snapped his file shut. 

Bobbie flicked her wrist sending the security guard off to go package the idiot in the interrogation room up for delivery. “I have reason to believe we have two others on The Viper’s payroll. At this rate, my team should have rooted them out before shift change.” 

“Good, keep me updated.” Johnson eyed the man. “Shock and awe on the takedowns. Remind the peons of their fate should they listen to anyone they shouldn’t.” 

“Yes ma’am.” Bobbie let her satisfaction at the opportunity to remove Hydra agents from the game leak through. After all, it only helped her cover. 

Johnson huffed. “Well, I have a jumpy british scientist to let run some tests. Keep up the results, you might just survive long enough to be useful.” 

“I try my best ma’am.” Bobbie turned pointedly to her interrogation room. 

////

Jemma set a watermelon down in front of Daisy. “Right, let’s start with this. While not looking at it, or directing your hands at it focus on its molecular vibrations.” 

“You’re sure this will work?” Daisy raised a brow, looking at her dubiously. 

Jemma held out a blindfold. “Logically it should be possible. Channeling your powers through your arms is from what I can tell, just because it’s easiest for you to visualize that way. It’s why you can channel through your legs as well. Realistically it will likely always be easiest for you to channel through your arms, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only way to do it.” 

“I’m going to look ridiculous.” Daisy tied the blindfold around her eyes. “You’re lucky you're cute.” 

She sighed, she was coming to the conclusion that Daisy just flirted automatically. “Just concentrate please.” 

“Fine, fine.” Johnson fell silent finally. 

Jemma wiped the watermelon off her face. “Well I think we can say my theory was correct. Well done.” 

“So does this mean we need more watermelons?” Daisy pulled her blindfold down, eyes twinkling as she looked over at Jemma. 

Jemma groaned as her compound started to release gas. Pulling it off the burner she dropped a lid over it. She picked up her recorder. “Test 58 is a failure. At this concentration the anesthesia becomes a gas before combining with the additives.” 

“Bad luck that.” Pratt leaned against her station. His cologne was practically noxious as he leaned into her personal space. "Heard they caught three traitors. Wouldn't want to be them. Bakshi is an artist of suffering."

Jemma forced her horror down. "We're all Hydra. It seems redundant to spy between factions honestly."

"Struggle is how you separate the wheat from the chaff. Whitehall will be on VonStruckers throne soon enough. Besides, our World Killer program puts their enhanced weapons programs to shame." He chuckled, and there was nothing good in the sound. 

She gave a slight nod. "Did you need help with something?" 

"Just checking in on our newest star." He clicked his tongue, while taking a step backwards, his eyes very much not focused on her face. "You picked the right side."

She rolled her eyes, he was simply awful. At least most of her evil coworkers had redeeming qualities. Pratt was human scum, she'd seen the way he'd looked at the human test subjects. "I'm loyal to the science. As long as I can further my research, answer the unexplained, I'm happy. All this internal politicking is beyond me." 

"Simmons." Smith called from across the lab.

She gave Pratt a stiff nod before walking towards her less objectionable evil coworker. "Did you need help?"

"Downstairs called. We have a fresh heart for you to introduce the steroids to." He didn't look up from his blueprints for another machine of medical horror.

Jemma slipped off her latex gloves. "Excellent, I'll go escort the organs up personally this time." She left the lab, heading for the elevator. Sometimes the security teams let the ice melt on the organs Bakshi sent to them. It was best not to think about where they were coming from. 

Still, this was Hydra, and she was starting to find her place. Morning control exercises with Kargaroff and Daisy. Afternoons working on introducing Inhuman DNA to human tissue. And eating far too many tacos so she could pass Intel in the paper trash. She was getting the hang of this.


	3. Daisy Knows More Than People Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy may choose to be as happy as Hydra allows, but that doesn't mean she can't do what is needed. And really, Dr Simmons is so bad at this espionage thing.

Daisy Johnson was amused. Typically her work was a bit of a high stakes chess game of murder. Which surprisingly got a bit routine after a while. This new, frankly horribly transparent SHIELD spy, had broken up the monotony. "Yo!"

Simmons let out a squeak, spinning while jumping, one hand covering her heart. "Don't do that! You're going to scare me to death."

“Well, that would be a shame.” Daisy blew her hair out of her face. 

Jemma shook her head, but her eyes were bright with amusement. “Did you need something?” She pulled her latex gloves off, tossing them into the trash. 

“I’m craving a burger, and what’s more depressing than going to a restaurant by yourself?” Daisy watched curiously. How would Jemma find a way to save her daily taco info drop off. 

Jemma sighed looking at her before brushing her hair back. “I usually get tacos.” 

“Burgers, just this once?” Daisy pouted, she felt like laughing at eyes flicking for help, the nervous biting of the lip. She was so bad at this. “I thought we were friends?” 

Jemma softened. “Alright, but you’re buying. I know you’re paycheck is bigger than mine.” 

“Cool.” Daisy watched Jemma as she pulled off her lab coat. This was why she found Doctor Jemma Simmons so fascinating. The slightest indication that it would make her upset and Jemma folded. Yet, Jemma was still the one who was the most opinionated and willing to disagree with orders out of the entire science team. It was fascinating. 

Jemma hung up her lab coat and opened the door. “Well, are we going for lunch or not?”

“Yes, we are.” Daisy hoped over towards Jemma while brushing her own hair over one shoulder. 

Jemma grabbed her shoulder. “What is that?” And then Jemma was pushing Daisy’s hair away, her fingers gently probing the area at the back of her neck.

“Oh that’s my kill switch.” Daisy huffed, but allowed the gentle prodding. 

Jemma’s voice gained that sharp quality it got when she was insulted by something. “How long has this been here? With your accelerated healing I can’t say more than older than two weeks.” 

“I’ve had it since I went through terrigenesis.” Daisy stepped away from Jemma. She cocked her head slightly at the furious expression on Jemma’s face. Jemma looked like a hissing kitten. 

Jemma made a sputtering sound. “But you’re a senior officer!” 

“And I’m an alien.” Daisy’s brow furrowed slightly. “Doesn’t it reassure you at all that the great World Killer can be stopped?”

Jemma’s arms twitched. “It’s a slave collar!” 

“And we do mind control? Gotta say I prefer the switch to ‘your compliance will be rewarded’.” She walked towards the elevator. “Come on, hunger, food, burger.” 

Jemma made a disgusted sound before jogging to keep up. “Daisy!” 

Daisy watched the meticulous manner Jemma was carefully dipping her fries into her ketchup. It was frankly adorable. “So, how did you end up in Hydra? Or well, SHIELD originally before it fell and you picked the winning side.” 

“I was seventeen, had two PHDs and so many questions.” Jemma smiled. “So I went where the most cutting edge science could be found.” There was genuine passion and excitement there. 

Daisy smiled, it was funny, she could see why they’d sent Jemma in. “Super smart little british Jemma. Did you wear blazers?” 

“I still wear blazers. They're useful, professional looking and comfortable. We can’t all dress like slovenly punk college students.” Jemma gave her loose black clothing a look of deep loathing. 

She snickered. “Please, you like my look and you know those Hydra uniforms are uncomfortable. Hail fashion.” 

“Ok, why are the lab coats black? White lab coats are perfectly standard for a reason.” Jemma leaned forward slightly. “What is with that?” 

Daisy’s lips twitched. “Hitler was a little bitch, and Schmidt was an ever bigger one and they both were way too obsessed with image.” 

“Are we allowed to say that?” Jemma whispered, eyes wide. 

Daisy laughed. “Please, they were so caught up in their egos they died. Why do you think Whitehall’s the last of the old Hydra guard? They were idiots.” 

“So, trash talking dead Hydra officers is allowed.” Jemma blinked slightly. “Noted. It’s healthier for the organization. Deification of founders leads to atrophy of the group.” 

She took a large bite of her burger. Chewing she nodded slowly. “Evolution of the whole. Speaking of evolution, I always wondered what the hype over it being taught in high schools was.” 

“Americans.” Jemma replied, frustration dripping from her voice.

Daisy groaned as her phone went off. Holding up a finger, she picked up her phone. “What?” 

-”I think you’ll want to come in for this one.”- Officer Morse’s voice was firm, but satisfied. 

She perked up. “I’ll be right in.” Daisy hung up and pulled out a couple twenties and set them on the table. “Afraid I’ve got to go. Enjoy your burger.” 

Daisy entered the observatory room, Morse and Weber were waiting for her. “Now, why did I have my lunch interrupted?” 

“Agent Drew had a laminate, one with code embedded in it.” Officer Weber reported. 

Officer Morse looked smug. “They’re not for The Viper though, they’re for The Doctor.” 

“Faustus?” Daisy asked, spies from The Viper and The Doctor in the same time frame? Wasn’t that interesting. 

Morse passed the intelligence report. “Orders ma’am?” 

“Keep him here. Go to basement level four. Pick up a body of the same size as him. I want everyone who's not in this room to think he’s dead.” Daisy turned, ignoring their salutes as she made her way out of the interrogation room. Oh, this was interesting. 

Daisy knew her grin was freaking out the peons. It was healthy for them to be reminded why she was Whitehall’s left hand. And it wasn’t because she was nice. This was something Bakshi would want in on, and well she was going to need him even if he was a human turd. 

It was a short elevator ride to Bakshi’s stupid floor. The individuals on this floor creeped her out. The soulless eyes of his technicians or the stupid satisfied nothinginess of the brainwashed. It was distasteful. Memories of the terror it used to inspire in her as a teen always teased her with coming back when she was here. Today though it wasn’t enough to dent her mood. 

Striding to the end of the hall, she strode straight into Bakshi’s office. “Bakshi! We have an opportunity.” 

“Oh yes, just come in like some common irritant.” He shut his laptop with a quick click. “So plebian of you.” 

Daisy rolled her eyes. “So pretentious, I’m amazing you can fit the stick that far up your ass.” She raised a hand covering her mouth. “Oh no, was that too crude for your delicate sensibilities?” 

“What do you want, Johnson.” He snapped. 

She grinned. “The Viper and The Doctor are working together.” 

“What? Faustus and Sarkissian hate each other.” He shifted forward. “Unless they’re threatened?” A cruel smile pulled at his face. “You’re not saying…”

Daisy folded her hands behind her back. “Three of mine were bought, two of yours but of those five traitors, all professed loyalty to The Viper, which is a ridiculous name. The last one however, his loyalty was bought by Dr. Faustus and I don’t believe in coincidences.” 

“Neither do I.” He chuckled. “Well, isn’t that interesting. I assume you have a proposal?” 

Daisy smiled. “I say we make a play. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind being a head of Hydra.” 

“Play them against each other and then usurp them when weakened?” He gave the slightest of nods. “It could work.” 

“We have a secret weapon. SHIELD has been sniffing around, they’ve got a scientist down with the level ones. I haven’t bothered with them yet, not a security risk, but…” She trailed off letting him put the pieces together. Not that she planned on informing him the SHIELD leak was Jemma, but any of the level ones were perfect for scapegoats to protect her new scientist. 

Bakshi sucked in a breath. “A single surgical strike against both parties, then we feed them to SHIELD, piece by piece. Once they’re too weak to hold their positions we’ll be ready to strike.” 

“Exactly, and if the survivors of our two surgical strikes spent some time with you that would just make things move faster.” Daisy pulled a mint out of her pocket and popped it into her mouth. 

Bakshi picked up a bottle of brandy and poured two glasses. “I think this is cause for celebration. Promotion always is.” 

“Just think, a few months and we won’t have to work with each other ever again.” Daisy accepted the drink. 

He raised his own. “To never having to deal with you again.” 

“Cheers.” 

Daisy paused as she saw the box in the fridge. It had her name on it. Curiously she pulled it out and opened it. It was her burger she never got to finish. She huffed, a fond smile on her face. Jemma really was a conundrum and no one was going to touch her till Daisy figured her out. 

Daisy snapped the last of her tactical pieces on. Time to go. She looked behind her in the quinjet, a team of twenty field agents locked and ready to go. “Morse, you’re in charge. Take the entrances, then hold till I order you in.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Morse replied. 

She gave a sharp nod while looking at the warehouse below. “Hail Hydra.” And then jumped out of the quinjet. 

Using her vibrations she landed without having to use a parachute, it was as jarring as jumping the last few stairs. Straightening she looked at the giant metal doors into the facility. Of course this wasn’t really the front entrance. It did make for a bigger statement. She raised her arms, and blew them open. 

There was a hail of bullets, but she didn’t care, they vibraited to dust before even touching her. And then she closed her eyes and felt. It was easy, a week and a half of practice and she was well on her way to mastering this. The brains of her enemies started exploding as she walked forward. 

It was showers of gore, a little less power and then they were just falling over, their brains liquified but skulls intact. She grinned. She really was learning. Striding through the facility she ignored the missiles, the weapons Ophella Sarkissian was so famous for within Hydra. The Viper indeed, too bad she was going to be punishing the wrong Head of Hydra for this attack. 

Daisy slowed to a stop outside a closet. She raised a brow and ripped it open. There, cowering were the two dumbest, and clearly least brave individuals in the entire facility. The only living ones left. She hit her comm. “Morse, bring the boys in, I want everything on these computers copied and then destroyed and tell Bakshi I have his new mice for him.” 

She looked at the sniveling survivors. “You should have tried to fight, cause believe me, dying would be better than what’s coming for you.” 

“Please we’ll do anything.” The bespeckled one in a lab coat begged. 

Daisy had little mercy to give, and it wasn’t to scum like this. She waved over one of her specialists. “Keep these two alive.” 

She started to walk away only to pause as Bakshi came towards her at a quick clip, several assistants weighed down by gear behind him. “You’re moving faster than a snail for once.” 

“I see you acted with some slight caution for once.” He rubbed his hands together as he looked at the cowering fools in the closet. “Oh excellent. These will do nicely. The weak willed always break fastest.” 

Daisy rolled her eyes. “Have fun, you have six hours before Sarkissian will realize one of her bases fell off the grid. We need to have set off one of these lovely missiles to cover our tracks by then.” 

“Yes, yes I know the plan.” He chuckled as he came to a stop before the closet. “Well hello, I must say this will be much easier on you if you give in. After all, compliance will be rewarded.” 

She strode off, watching Bakshi play with his food was not her idea of a good time. Daisy’s nose scrunched up as she felt something wet. Reaching up she brushed the brain matter out of her hair. “Well… suppose I could still use some practice.” 

“Building is secure Ma’am.” Officer Morse reported. 

Daisy looked at her office. “You're not going puke are you?” The woman looked slightly green about the gills. 

“No ma’am.” Morse remained at a stiff military perfect attention. 

She snorted while wiping more brain matter off herself. “Was not expecting there to be that much splatter. Exploding brains, super gross. Who knew.” 

“I couldn’t say.” Morse’s eyes were very cautiously not straying. “If I may ma’am, we could remove the blast cover between silo six and eight. It would completely decimate the base.” 

Daisy nodded. “See to it Officer.” She paused. “And Morse, keep an eye on the skies. We don’t want to be surprised by anything.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Morse saluted sharply, before turning on her heel to see to it. 

Daisy’s general cheer faded. Officer Morse was good, it would be interesting if this showed her to be loyal as well. Agents who were competent were hard to find after all. 

////

Bobbie was in complete control of her body. It was the only reason she wasn’t trembling. This base had once had two hundred and six individuals in it. A major weapons assembly plant for one of the Heads of Hydra. Johnson had killed two hundred and four of those individuals, taken the entire base in less than five minutes. The woman didn’t have a scratch on her. 

She swallowed as her eyes took in the pristine base. No ricochet bullets, because Johnson had disintegrated them. SHIELD couldn’t fight that type of monster. Not in a straight fight at least. Poison maybe? They would have to find a way to eliminate her or else everything would be for naught. Hydra would just drop their super weapon on their base, again, and again till SHIELD was nothing. 

It didn’t shock her when two hours later Bakshi was fussing over his new little drones being placed strategically under some blast shielding. Nor did it surprise her when the whole place went up in flames. The reason for this operation may not be something she was read in on, but the brutal efficiency of it was telling. Johnson was for real. 

Bobbie washed her face in the officer’s bathroom. Dropping her field uniform into the laundry bin, she pulled on her office uniform. It was designed for terror. Infighting inside Hydra, not surprising, but definitely useful. Now how to figure out how to kill the World Killer and pin the blame on someone else… hopefully. Maybe. 

She straightened her cuffs and then strode out of the officers bathroom/locker room. Her face remained stone as she made her way to the briefing. This whole system worked like clockwork, and was designed to keep any one individual from being able to discover much. It wasn't comforting. 

Bobbie checked the World Killer lab, not that she was allowed into the glass cubical lab spaces, but she could check on Simmons. As she entered she catalogued the team.

Kargaroff was a portly older individual and happily went over surgery notes with Burns in the slightly younger man’s area. Smith and Richard's were working on some instrument that probably doubled as a torture device. Pratt was totally focused on his burners and something he was cooking on it.

Finally, there was Jemma, she couldn't have stood out more if she tried. She was dissecting a rat while batting Johnson's hands every time the woman tried to touch something at her station. Then, Johnson's eyes stopped on Bobbie, her eyes going cold. 

Bobbie straightened as Johnson stalked towards her.

"Report?" Johnson's voice was deceptively light.

She folded her hands behind her back. "Just running a final check before shift change. With the recent spy issue I thought it would be remiss not to check all the teams. Ma'am." 

"Well, aren't you going places." Johnson patted her shoulder. "Let's see what you're made of Morse. Follow me."

Bobbie fell into step besides her commanding officer. "Ma'am?"

"I haven't had a good spar in two weeks. Doctor's orders and all that. Apparently punching with broken bones is bad." Johnson led them to the elevator. "I could use a work out, and I like knowing the capabilities of my officers."

She gave a sharp nod. "Today wasn't exactly challenging."

"No, though successful." The woman looked at her critically. "Tell me, what is your price? We all have them."

Bobbie took a moment. A Hydra officer wouldn't believe loyalty without question from anyone that had reached her position. "Doesn't matter. No one offered enough and I like my head on my shoulders, not jelly in your hair."

"Smart choice." Johnson's eyes flicked forward as the doors opened and they began to walk towards one of the training gyms. "I always wondered at the ones who turn traitor for money. Vengeance, power, recognition I can understand, but money? No one can ever accept you as anything but a filthy snitch after that."

The thing was, Bobbie agreed. "What's your price ma'am?" 

"I'm not people." Johnson pulled off her coat. That was answer enough. She was loyal, and whatever had given her loyalty to Whithall wasn't corruptible. 

////

Daisy wiped a drip of blood from below her nose. "Good hit."

"Mostly lucky." Morse pressed a hand to her split lip. "Still want to go?"

Daisy rolled her shoulders. “I’ve got plans for tonight, but I could go another round.” 

Morse nodded, raising her arms, and rolling on the balls of her feet. “Hot date, wouldn’t want to bruise that face of yours.” 

“Ha.” She made a quick jab, and then spun with a kick as Morse blocked. 

Daisy’s mind went wonderfully blank as they exchanged blows, the thrill of it as Morse’s leg went up and over her head, only for Daisy to slide between her legs. It was fast, and pushed her. 

Fighting always did this for her, it gave her moments of freedom. It was clean and simple. 

Daisy twisted, then slammed her fist into Morse’s kidneys. She got a knee to the gut in exchange for it that sent her rolling away, barely missing a follow up stomp. 

She sprang back to her feet and caught Morse’s next kick. She couldn’t help the viscous grin she had at that. 

Daisy stretched out her arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow Officer Morse.” 

“Ma’am.” Morse replied before taking a long swig out of her water bottle. 

She grabbed a towel and made her way to the shower. Hot water would feel nice, and dealing with Bakshi always left her wanting a shower. Daisy shot a look at Morse, if she wanted to improve working with Morse was a good idea. She paused. “Hey Morse, one last thing.” 

“Ma’am?” Morse looked up, towel draped around her neck. 

Daisy grinned. “If you find any SHIELD infiltrators I want them alive and undamaged when you call me in. In fact, surgical strike. I don’t want anyone in the building knowing why you brought them in.” 

“Of course but…” Morse seemed to shake herself back into protocol. “I’ll take care of it should such a situation arrive.” 

“Good.” She nodded and continued on to her shower. After all, no one would be stupid enough to send someone like Jemma in by herself. Which meant backup, which meant someone she could use as a redundancy and Morse had proven herself effective at smoking out rats. 

Daisy whistled as she walked down the street. She came to a stop outside an apartment building. Civilian buildings were so much less secure than people thought. She hopped up, grabbing a ledge and swinging herself up. Endless hours on the rock climbing wall had certainly paid off. She easily made her way up. A simple low vibration flipped the window’s lock, and then she was sliding into the apartment. 

She looked around, it was very Jemma, and very short term mission. It was nice, treadmill by the window, bed neatly made, warm yellows and nature pictures. There was a lack of personal possessions to make it real. The flowers on the bedside table were adorable. Of course Jemma SImmons would have a small arrangement of fresh flowers in her bedroom to wake up to. 

Circling the room, Daisy almost laughed at the communications cube sitting on the dresser. It was just humorous how bad at this Jemma clearly was. Brilliant scientist yes, suited in any way for espeiange not at all. 

“Daisy!” Jemma yelped from the doorway. 

She laughed, turning towards the adorably flustered scientist. “Yo, thought I’d drop by for dinner.” 

“How...did you climb in through the window!?” Jemma’s arms fluttered, outrage clear to be heard in her voice. 

She snickered. “Thought we could have dinner.” Daisy brushed past Jemma into the living area. She stopped after opening the fridge. “Do you honestly have nothing but hot sauce and beer in here?” 

“I haven’t been grocery shopping recently. Wait, why didn't you just call and ask like a normal person?” Jemma snagged the hot sauce out of Daisy’s hand and set it back in the fridge.

Daisy plucked up a beer and retreated to look around the living room. Lots of throw pillows and that was a painting of butterflies on the wall. So very Jemma. “Seriously, you should hire a personal shopper or something. I mean you get paid enough for it.” 

“I don’t need a personal shopper. I’ve just been staying late at the lab recently. You know those rat responses to their hemoglobin tests are really promising.” Jemma shut the fridge. “Wait, how do you even know where I live?” 

Daisy rolled her eyes. “I run a security task force of five hundred and sixty two people and you self reported your apartment when we hired you.” She pulled out her phone. “So, what do you feel like for dinner? I was thinking pizza, but clearly you need something with actual food in it. So Thai?” 

“Thai’s fine. Wait, are you ordering dinner?” Jemma gaped while making a grab for the phone. 

She spun, avoiding deft hands and typed in an order and sent it in. It amused her to feel Jemma trying to reach around her back to get to the phone. Daisy laughed turning, while slipping her phone into her back pocket. “Well hello there.” 

“Daisy!” Jemma flushed stepping back. “You can’t just break into my apartment and order food.” 

Daisy cocked her head to one side. “But I just did?” 

“Well yes but…” Jemma sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What would you have done if I wasn’t here?” 

She considered that. “Poked around, headed home to a boring dinner by myself.” 

“What if I’d been in the shower?” Jemma crossed her arms, tapping her foot. 

Daisy smirked. “Enjoy the view?” 

“No!” Jemma slapped her shoulder. “You can break into my living room if you have to, but that’s it.” 

She paused, Jemma was serious. Daisy straightened. “Alright, I can do that. You should really get better locks for your windows though.” 

“Yes I can see that.” Jemma sighed, she looked at Daisy, the slightest crinkle in her brow. “Why are you here really? You don’t follow around Burns or Pratt or any of the other scientists like you do me.” 

Daisy shrugged. “I mean can you imagine Burns doing anything in his home other than getting his rocks off to road kill? And Pratt is scum. If he wasn’t smart I’d have killed him on female principle ages ago.” 

Jemma bit her lip, amusement on her face before she softened somewhat. “That’s mean.” 

“True and you know it.” Daisy settled. “Isn’t it enough you don’t bore me and I like you?” 

Jemma’s eyes softened. “Well what do you do for fun then? Because I’m rather boring. I did get a new copy of Scientific America but considering how far behind they are scientifically it’s not as nice as it used to be.” 

“I used to rock climb.” Daisy shrugged, climbing the Hydra ladder didn’t leave time for games that didn’t further that goal. Speaking of, well she needed to pass information to SHIELD anyways. “Actually, I could use your help on something.” 

Jemma took a seat on the couch. “Is it something in the lab?” 

“No, I have to deal with a Hydra official in two weeks, who I like even less than Bakshi.” Daisy just had to point Jemma at where to look and make sure no one else noticed Jemma was looking. It wasn’t the plan to get her scientist hurt after all. 

Jemma winced. “Who?” 

“Ophelia Sarkissian, otherwise known as The Viper. She’s one of the four current Heads of Hydra. You’re lucky you got picked up by Whitehall. She’s a bitch, and I get to deal with her this coming week. Think you can blow something up in the lab so I can escape?” Daisy dropped onto the couch. 

Jemma blinked. “You want me to blow something up so you can escape dealing with her? I mean technically I can and I suppose if it’s on your orders I don’t have to worry about being in trouble for it. Surely though there are better ways to deal with her.” 

“Jemma, Jemma, Jemma. Sarkissian is that head cheerleader type, only without a soul.” Daisy actually was looking forward to fucking with the woman. Plus, an explosion would be perfect for giving Jemma the chance to see some files she probably shouldn’t and it would piss off Sarkissian, win, win. 

Jemma nodded slowly. “I can do it… is there something specific I should be blowing up?” 

“I’m sure you’ll think of something fun for me to make the peons clean up.” Daisy grinned only for her eyes to settle on a DVD case by the tv. “What movie is that?” 

Jemma’s face pinked. “Back to the Future. It’s really a classic and I’ve been trying to expand my pop culture knowledge base. I really was so busy with school I didn’t watch many films growing up.” 

“Yeah?” Daisy smiled softly. “Let’s watch it then.” 

Jemma looked at her surprised. “You want to watch Back to the Future?” 

“Well you do, and I think we just established that we’re very boring people outside of work. I mean I went straight to plotting mild suffering on a work associate. So, movie and take out when it gets here?” Daisy waited, watching as Jemma’s face went through several emotions. 

“Alright, I’ll just get the popcorn.” She stood and made her way into the kitchen. 

Daisy paused. “You have no vegetables but you do have popcorn? What were you even planning on eating before I got here?” 

Daisy watched with lazy eyes as Jemma slipped into the bathroom. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so light and just free. It was addicting, and she had no interest in giving it up. She considered the woman whose apartment she was in. Probably the kindest person she’d ever met. The brief peeks at compassion and someone seeing her as human were hard to resist. Daisy was hooked on the sunlight that practically poured out of the other woman. 

She stood, decision made. Daisy put her service weapon in the empty vegetable drawer along with her Hydra badge. She slid her knife out of her sleeve and set it with the rest. Closing the door, she made her way to Jemma’s bedroom. She dropped on the foot of the bed. 

Jemma paused slightly as she came out of the bathroom, but her face was still soft and happy. “What are you doing in here?” 

“What do you think? Daisy felt smug at the way she could feel Jemma’s eyes widening as she put it together. 

Jemma’s cheeks went bright red. “That’s a terrible idea. I mean you’re my boss. Well my boss’s boss’s boss.” 

“Who’s going to get you in trouble over it?” Daisy smirked as Jemma made a spluttering noise. 

“That’s not the point. It could interfere with team dynamics.” Jemma’s hands twitched as she waved her arms. 

Daisy rolled her eyes. Hooking her thumbs in the bottom of her shirt she slipped it up and over her head. “The question is, do you want to fuck me or not?” 

Jemma made the sound of a dying animal, her eyes growing huge as she very clearly was not looking at Daisy’s face. “Sweet jesus.” 

She smirked, reaching forward and caught Jemma’s hands and pulled her closer. “So, yes or no?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The head exploding thing is actually from the comics. They didn't include it in the show for reasons that probably have a lot to do with Daisy already being way over powered and the general graphic nature in which she can use those powers. Cause Daisy's powers are way badass and under used in the show.


	4. Bobbie's Mission Goes FUBAR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some rules of espionage exist for good reason. Especially for baby spies who have no idea what their doing. Jemma really should have thought some things through a bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hydra makes power dynamics iffy in this, and from the outside looking in it looks bad. Like so bad. So just you know that 'mildly dubious consent tag?' this is the that chapter.

Jemma stared at the ceiling of her room. She had committed the biggest no-no of the espionage profession. She’d slept with the enemy. What to do post really good sex with a Hydra officer was not something May and Coulson had covered. It was decidedly unfair. What was she supposed to do though? She was only human, Daisy, on her bed, no shirt, abs just there was not fair. 

She let an arm flop over her face. Jemma could feel the still warm sheets next to her. Her muscles pulled with that pleasant ache as she sat up. Well, she needed a shower so she didn’t go into work reeking of sex. 

Twenty minutes later she stared at herself in the mirror. “Fuck.” 

There, on her neck was a giant, dark, painfully visible hickey. She pulled open her drawer and scanned. There was almost no concealer. Because of course she hadn’t brought enough concealer to do more than cover some minor blemishes. Not cover hickies, because yep that was a second one. “Well drat.” 

Jemma smiled as she came into work. “Roberts, how’s the wife?”

“Oh she’s doing just fine.” He chuckled, accepting her purse and checking it as she walked through the metal detector. "And I can see you had a good night."

She sighed her hand slapping over the mark. "Is it really that obvious?"

"I'm afraid so, but don't worry, it's natural for a pretty young lady like yourself to have gentlemen callers." He chuckled while pushing her purse back towards her.

Jemma accepted this was just her fate for the day. "Thank you anyways."

"And should you need any gentleman callers to disappear just tell Bob in acquisitions. It'll take care of itself that way." He shook his head as he waved her off.

She kept her smile plastered on as she made her way to the elevator. Well, that had happened. At least it might get Pratt to stop undressing her with his eyes if he thought she was spoken for? Unlikely, but possible. If only she could just take care of it herself...except...this was Hydra?

The door opened and Kargaroff got on. He raised a brow at her as the doors closed behind him. "Do I want to know why you have that expression on your face Dr. Simmons?"

"Theoretically if an individual poisoned a coworker, non lethally of course, how much trouble might they be in?" Jemma had some frustrations and was stressed. Working in the same lab as Pratt was making it worse.

He snorted, mustache twitching. "I should think so long as Dr. Pratt doesn't remain out of commission for more than a week there's no reason to involve security."

Jemma blinked. "I didn't say Dr. Pratt…"

"Yes well, just between us his name suits him." Kargaroff waddled out of the elevator and towards their office with a wink.

Jemma stood there for a long second before slipping out before the doors could close again. So, she could poison her irritating coworker… ethics… but she was undercover in Hydra…..

Jemma read through the test. "If we cut the dose in two, and perform the procedure twice, say six months apart it would significantly reduce trauma and risk of death. Run twenty human test subjects at the half dose. No complications and we could start putting it into practice for all combat specialists."

"Half the efficiency, for six months and twice the time spent in recovery and in the labs being enhanced." Burns contradicted. He picked up the dead patient's heart. "Stick the head on ice, kill the patient, inject full dose and then restart their hearts. Slightly longer procedure but less recovery and only one procedure."

Her eyes narrowed. "I doubt Whitehal wants his soldiers losing that many brain cells. It's completely unnecessary and the risks with that procedure will leave at least 15% of them braindead."

"Yeah and their corpses will tell us much." The man shrugged. "Besides as the procedure continues we'll further perfect it." 

Jemma slapped her hand down on the table. "Kargaroff and Johnson both aren't stupid enough to sign off on your idea. If you want to play with corpses, at least come up with a better way to make them." She paused as she watched Burns start laughing. 

With a slow motion, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re not serious. This is hazing.” 

Burns laughed harder while walking away from her station. Pratt and Smith were snickering at their stations as well. 

“Excellent.” Jemma groaned before turning back to her work. “Couldn’t just put glitter in my desk, had to threaten me with the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of.” 

Pratt snorted. “You’re too high strung, loosen up.” 

“You all have terrible senses of humor.” She muttered while grabbing her box of slides the first floor had sent up. 

An hour later Smith set a mug of coffee on her station. “They put sand in my automated drill’s gears. I had to rebuild it.” 

She paused, there was the slightest shimmer to the top of the coffee, and a slight gleam in the man’s eyes. Jemma almost pointed out this was clearly a trap, but honestly hazing was about the most normal thing that had happened in her time at Hydra. Besides, revenge was encouraged here, what with being the army of evil. “Thank you Smith.” 

“Anytime Simmons.” He nodded his head and moved to his station. Not fast acting then. 

Jemma politely finished the last of her slides and waited. As soon as Smith left for the bathroom, they all frequently had to considering how much coffee they consumed, she made her move. Stepping over to his station, coffee in one hand file in the other she set her coffee down on his station while switching her current file for his file of prototype designs. Then it was simply a matter of picking up Smith’s identical mug of coffee instead of the one he’d dropped off with her. Take that Hydra, making all the mugs identical with evil branding. 

She took a satisfied sip of the undoctored coffee as she made her way back to her station. Life at Hydra had its perks. Jemma cringed as she opened the file, the first prototype was what could only be described as a peeler for human flesh. She didn’t want to know. She was about to find out. 

Jemma glanced up as she realized Kargaroff was waiting for her to notice him. “Did you need something Sir?” 

“It's my grandson’s birthday party today so I won’t be joining you for control exercises with subject 2 today. However, I’m sure your continued work with vibrational frequencies will continue to impress.” He smiled. “I believe you should begin heading for the testing basement soon.” 

She glanced at the clock. “Oh my goodness, I completely lost track of time.” 

“Happens to all of us.” He waddled on back to his work station, likely to finish up a few odds and ends before leaving. 

Jemma deftly put away her slides and locked up her desk. With a huff at the snickers from Burns, she left the lab. As she made her way down to the eighth basement level, she realized something with a bit of a start. She was getting respectful nods from the various Hydra guards and scientists. She wasn’t invisible anymore, she was someone others knew about. Her hands shook slightly as she used her thumbprint to open the door into the testing room. 

She nodded as she saw the supplies she’d requested had been delivered. Picking up the clipboard she quickly flipped through, marking them off. Tuning forks, glassware, several different large samples of rocks, stressed metals and various types of produce. 

“You know most Hydra doctors don’t want me blowing up fruit.” Daisy’s voice came from the entrance as the doors slammed shut. “What is that?” 

Jemma brandished her current find. “They’re Kiwis, have you never had them?” 

“No, but at least one of those is surviving today’s experiments cause I’m curious now.” Daisy snagged one of the furry fruits for herself. She looked at it curiously. “Do you just bite into it?” 

“You peel it and it’s one of our exercises. Fine control. First we’re working with the tuning forks.” Jemma nabbed the kiwi out of Daisy’s hands with easy familiarity. 

Daisy sighed. “I can think of things way more fun than making tuning forks hum. You’re turning into a middle school band teacher.” She caught Jemma around the waist and pulled her in. “It’s doing it for me.” 

Jemma pressed a hand to Daisy’s chest and pushed her back. “No, science first and I know you love using your powers.” 

“True.” Daisy laughed, easily letting herself be distracted. “So, tuning forks first?” 

She smiled, brandishing the largest tuning fork some unfortunate Hydra goon had found in the local music shop. “Let’s see if you can hit an A flat.” 

“You’re going to pull your phone out and play the note right? Cause I don’t know what an A flat sounds like.” Daisy sighed, taking the fork. 

Jemma smiled as she did pull out her phone. “Come on, you’re going to do great.”

Jemma laughed as she wiped melon out of her hair. “Well you exploded the wrong fruit at a 35% rate. So, we still have to keep working at it but you’re making really good progress.” 

“Hmm.” Daisy took a bite of her kiwi. “This is delicious. I worry about some of Hydra sometimes. Years of tests and no one bothered to tell me fruit like this existed.” 

Jemma took a bite of her own kiwi. “How old were you when you ended up in Hydra? Most of my files are conveniently missing dates.” 

“Dates come with level four.” Daisy poked her with a spoon. “I was fourteen. I was a foster kid. Got pneumonia, my hospital results got spotted by one of Whitehall’s people.” She shrugged. “So, how’d you decide on medicine?” 

She considered that. “I don’t know, I just always had so many questions.” 

“Why limit yourself the way you do?” Daisy leaned forward, her face just that touch close enough Jemma could have counted her lashes if she wanted. “I mean this whole building is full of scientists pushing the bounds of their fields by leaps and bounds. You however need redundancies, caution. Why?”

Jemma stabbed at her kiwi. “Some rules are pointless rubbish, but some of them are there for a reason.” She frowned at Daisy. “Why not protect yourself from unnecessary pain? You’re either number two or three for this entire set up.”

“What’s the point? I can take it and the more we do the more we learn.” Her eyes narrowed. “Besides, weakness is how you die before you end up the ‘number two or three for this entire set up’.” She twirled her finger in a circle, an amused smirk on her face. 

Jemma hummed. “But you don’t have to.” 

“Thinking like that is how people like me die.” Daisy reached out and poked Jemma’s nose. “Alien abomination remember?” 

Jemma bit her lip, this was such a bad idea. She leaned forward and kissed Daisy lightly. “You seem human enough to me.” 

“Do I?” Daisy’s lips twitched up in a smirk. 

She rolled her eyes. “You're incorrigible and you’re less than .1% alien genetically, maybe 1% after your extensive Kree injections but you’re still 99% human. You’re being dramatic.” 

“It doesn’t phase you does it?” Daisy’s head cocked to the side slightly. 

Jemma set aside her spoon and kiwi rind. “Your genetics are fascinating, and the capabilities of your powers are so terrifying they’re awe inspiring, but it’s not like you’re infectious. You don’t have bubonic plague.” 

“You know I have an idea for another control test.” Daisy leaned in, one arm curling around Jemma’s hip. 

She shivered. Oh this was such a bad idea. A one night stand with evil was one thing, but continued sexual intercourse with evil was… Jemma swallowed at the knowing look on Daisy’s face. Daisy was… she was the least evil thing at Hydra. She was sweet and funny and god she was justifying this to herself. “Daisy?” 

“Vibrations have so many applications. That’s what you’ve been saying.” Daisy chuckled. 

Jemma hissed as she felt vibrations run from Daisy’s hand on her hip, across her pelvis. She knew this was a terrible idea. “You know I used to follow the rules.” 

“Life's so boring that way.” Daisy moved, bringing them horizontal, on the floor. “Besides, it’s for science.” 

Jemma groaned. “It’s not like I can put that in the files now is it?” 

“Doesn’t mean it’s not worth the experimentation?” Daisy brushed her lips against Jemma’s lightly. 

Jemma wrapped her arms around Daisy’s neck. “We have twenty minutes before the cleaning crew is scheduled to be here. Or we could do this later?” 

“I say both.” Daisy replied. 

Jemma splashed water on her face. A week, of frankly mind blowing sex and she had to admit to herself that this was becoming a problem she should have reported to Coulson days ago. “I’m in so much trouble.” 

Of course, her reflection couldn’t reply to that. This wasn’t helpful. Sucking in a breath, she slapped her cheeks lightly. She had work to do. 

Jemma straightened her black lab coat and made her way back into the lab. She bit back a smirk at the still, slightly purple looking Dr. Smith. “Want some coffee Smith?” 

“I’m good.” He replied tightly. 

Richards spoke up. “You looked better fully purple or not purple at all.” 

“Grape is quite fetching on you.” Jemma replied as she returned to her work station. She pulled out her slide of the DNA she’d irradiated earlier. 

Smith grumbled but wisely kept his mouth shut. He’d been purple since he drank the coffee he’d intended for her to drink. It had nicely refocused everyone away from her and trying to haze the newbie. 

“That's not right.” Jemma pulled away from her microscope. “Dr. Kargaroff I’m going to go rerun the blood work. Whoever ran this added a dye to it.” 

He waved her off. “Yes, yes. If it was Carlson, report him. It’ll be the second test he’s mucked up this week.” 

She nodded while tossing her useless slide into the biohazard trash. “Of course.” Jemma pulled off her latex gloves and tossed them before making her way out of the lab. The blood testing was done in one of the level one testing labs. Still, it was nice to stretch her legs. 

Jemma used her time in the elevator to adjust her collar tighter. High collars were becoming a necessary evil. She smiled as the doors opened and she felt the sunlight coming through the windows. Hydra at least seemed to understand sunlight was important to mental health. Even if it was probably just to make the building look less suspicious. 

“Simmons!” Kenneth waived in greeting. 

She walked over. “Kenneth! It’s been too long. How’s the lab?”

“Good, boring. Nothing like your fancy World Killer project. You’ve even got a fancier level than me now.” He rubbed at the back of his head. 

Jemma touched his back in consolation. “I’m sure you’ll get pulled for something. Besides, your wife likes your current hours.” 

“True enough.” He shook his head. “So, what are you doing down on level one?” 

She let out a sound of frustration. “I ordered some blood irradiated, but whoever ran the test added a dye to it. Ruined the whole thing. So, I’m going to just run the test again myself.” 

“Carlson? I’ll talk to him.” Kenneth fell into step with her as they walked towards the lab. “That man is one more failed test away from being recycled. Might actually be of some use that way.” 

Jemma’s eyes flicked at Kenneth, he was practically jolly while speaking as if Carlson deserved being a human test subject just because he was bad at his job. Hopefully it hadn’t been Carlson to muck up her test. Possibly she should suggest to Carlson that he switch to janitorial if he wanted to keep breathing. “Let’s hope not, he seems nice if...” 

“Useless.” Kenneth finished for her with a huff. “You’re a girl.” He paused looking at her. “If my wife was hypothetically mad at me for forgetting her birthday?”

Jemma sighed. “Oh Kenneth, really? You couldn't have programmed it into your phone?” 

“I’ve been busy and the work here is so important.” Kenneth made a helpless looking shrug. “So, do you think I should get her flowers?” 

She stared at him. “Really? You have to do better than that. Make her dinner, clean the garage or get her those play tickets she’s been wanting. Just show her you care and can do better.” 

“The play is a good idea. I’ll have to remember to ask you for help next time.” Kenneth opened the door for her. 

Jemma spotted Carlson and inwardly groaned. “Blood test 345-678 wasn’t supposed to have dye in it.” 

“Oh no.” Carlson winced. “I’ll rerun that for you right away. Just let me find the test order so I can make sure everything is exact.” 

She stepped forward. “Carlson, consider switching departments, such mistakes won’t be tolerated for long. I’m going to run this test myself because the subject is on mission and won’t be back to give more blood if this one is messed up as well.” 

“Switching departments?” Carlson looked between the two of them with wide eyes. 

Kenneth spoke up. “Another mess up like this and I’m recommending you for recycling. Lab techs aren’t hard to find.” 

“Oh god.” Carlson swallowed thickly. “Janitorial needs people, yes? They always need people.” 

Jemma reached out catching his hand. “Of course they do, and you’re already cleared by the background checks so you’ll have preference for the job. In the meantime, which fridge did you store the blood samples in?” 

“Yeah the fridge over there.” He jerked his thumb behind him. 

Jemma walked around the counter and opened up the fridge. “There we are. I’ll just run the test and then get out of your hair Carlson.” 

“And get out of this job by tomorrow.” Kenneth sounded just disgusted. “You’re useless.” 

Jemma plucked a blood vial from the fridge and straightened while making her way to the irradiation station. 

“Commander Johnson! It’s an honor, do you need anything?” Kenneth’s voice went up half an octave. 

She turned, smile on her face only to pause as she saw Daisy. 

Daisy was wearing a black field bodysuit, there was dust on it, a single scratch along one cheek that was bleeding sluggishly, her pupils were blown wide. 

Jemma grabbed a kleenex and stepped forward. “Honestly, you need to get that glued.” 

“Out.” Daisy grabbed Jemma’s hand before it could touch her face. “Everyone who is not Doctor Simmons get out, and shut the door behind you.” 

Carlson made a startled noise and then bumped into the desk before scrambling out. 

“Um...” Kenneth cleared his throat. “I’m sure if-”

“Now.” Daisy didn’t tear her eyes away from Jemma’s face. 

Jemma’s brow furrowed as the door closed, Kenneth leaving as ordered. “Here?” 

“Here.” Daisy gripped Jemma’s thigh and hoisted her up, and kissed her hard. 

Jemma couldn’t help moaning as she felt her back hitting up against the counter. She could feel Daisy physically vibrating against her. Whatever the mission was it had clearly riled up Daisy. Actually, it wasn’t surprising the adrenaline alone would account for this response, let alone the norepinephrine that was likely coursing through a field agent’s system after a mission. She gripped Daisy’s hair hard enough to drag her mouth back from Jemma’s neck to her mouth. 

////

Bobbie flipped her current file shut and stared at the two security agents in front of her. “You left your posts to what? Lollygag around the water cooler?” 

“Well you see it was just…” Goon number one fell silent. 

She closed her eyes and counted to three. Opening them she spoke, it pained her not to just murder these fools. It was Hydra, she wouldn’t be reprimanded for it. “I hear they need more organs down in basement three. Leave your post again and I’ll give the butchers down there some fresh meat. Is that understood?” 

“Yes ma’am!” Both of them saluted. 

Bobbie jerked her chin to the side. “Get out of here before I change my mind.” 

She walked back into the main security floor. Well, the officer’s floor. Four floors of the building and one basement level were all security floors, not to mention the two security check points per floor of all forty floors and eight basements. Hydra, evil McEvil had to have some of the best security she’d ever seen. It was an irony she hated. Still, they were getting good intel. 

Bobbie walked to her desk and continued to read through intelligence reports. Also, she needed to go check the security feed highlights later. Hydra work was becoming routine. It was a good thing. She tapped her pen against her bullet proof metal desk.

“The Chrises leave their station to flirt with the new surgeon?” Weber asked, dropping a can of soda on her desk. 

She snapped it open, relaxing at the slight hiss as it opened. Her four months in a minor Hydra base in China had kept her safe from hazing so far. “I’ll have a word with her about reporting idiots to me so I can take care of them. If they’re too busy trying to get laid we’re going to have some new openings.” 

“Harsh.” He chuckled. “Personally, I’d have shot one of them as a lesson.” 

Bobbie raised a brow at him. “And finish the shift short a man? If they do it again, I’ll shoot both of them. If they do it again this week, I’ll send them to Bakshi. They do it tomorrow. I’ll send them to Dr. Burns.” 

“Burns?” Weber whistled. “Anything team World Killer does is not something I want to be a test subject for, but the new lady doctor, doctor… Simmons?” 

She carefully kept her interest checked. “What about her?” 

“Well, if I’m gonna go in agony at least the last thing I’ll see is a pretty face.” He leaned against her desk, looking out over the rest of the room. “Good thing she’s not a rat, I was half sure she was what with her being all jumpy. However, if The World Killer was spending that much time with me I’d be jumpy as fuck too.” 

Bobbie gave a slight nod. It was true enough, Simmons was hopeless at undercover. If her brain hadn’t gotten her onto a team involved with scary enough individuals for jumpiness to be expected when she did… Well it was a good thing. The only thing that kept her from pulling her immediately was that the information Simmons was feeding to Coulson was likely incredibly important. “I think scientists are just made jumpy.” 

“True enough.” Weber laughed, his voice deep and booming. “Little nerdy losers.” 

She closed a file. “Losers? Those losers are the ones who are changing the world. Besides, I like my new batons.” 

“They are useful like that. The new ones have retractable poison spikes right?” He looked at her curiously. 

Bobbie leaned back. “And are military grade tasers.” 

“Very cool, but I have a whip made of razor blades.” He touched the coiled metal hanging off his hip.

She grinned. “My batons are cooler.” Bobbie frowned as she spotted one of the level two security officers jogging towards them. She straightened. “What’s happened?” 

The man, his badge identified him as Muller, spoke hurriedly. “Someone disabled the security cameras in the blood lab. The scientists are all super jumpy.” 

“Level one?” She was on her feet immediately. 

Muller nodded. “Doc Turgeon outranks me and he wouldn’t let me check.” 

“Turgeon?” She snapped while taking off at a march for the doors. 

Muller jogged, keeping up with her. “Uh Kenneth? Everyone calls him Kenneth.” 

“You let a level two lab leader prevent you from checking a security breach?” Bobbie was going to kill him after this was done. 

Muller hit the level one button on the elevator. “I tried, but he had like eight other scientists blocking the way. Couldn’t have gotten in without hurting one of them.” 

“You better hope this isn’t an attack.” Bobbie shared a look with Weber who was following them. If they’d missed a security break involving that many people they wouldn’t survive the day. She grit her teeth as the doors opened. Taking off at a jog she came to a stop at the sight of lab leader Kenneth standing in front of the hall towards the blood lab. His arms crossed and jaw tight. 

He looked up at her. “You can’t go down there.” 

“The camera’s are off. So you tell me what’s going on down there or I’ll shoot you before I go find out.” Bobbie glared at the man. 

Kenneth shrank, but he didn’t move. “Look it’s not…” His eyes were flicking everywhere. 

Bobbie grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall. “You get one chance. What am I about to walk into?” 

“Commander privileges.” He choked out. 

“Fuck.” Weber caught her shoulder and pulled her back. “Christ one of your little scientists?” 

Bobbie paused and then it clicked. Someone of significant rank was using it to take advantage of one of the scientists. “Well that’s one for Dr. Burns to cut open this week. Good riddance.” 

“No!” Kenneth’s eyes were wide as he looked at her. “It’s Simmons.” 

Bobbie froze and then she ignored the others, she took off down the hall. The fuck she was going to let Simmons get taken advantage of by a higher ranked Hydra officer. She slid one of her batons out. It was disgusting and foul and fuck her job was to protect Simmons! 

She grabbed the door handle, only to be tackled by Weber. Bobbie opened her mouth to protest only for him to slap a hand over her mouth. 

“Shut up.” He hissed into her ear. “It’s Johnson.” 

Bobbie stilled. There was nothing she could do. Weber released her rolling away and then standing up. He held out his hand. She took it and let herself be pulled to her feet. They made silent eye contact before leaving the hallway. 

She straightened her jacket, every muscle and inch of her desperate to rip open that door but knowing it would mean instant death. Bobbie stopped in front of Kenneth. “Tell me everything?” 

“We were just in the lab when Commander Johnson burst in. The camera’s just exploded.” Kenneth swallowed. “Simmons was..well Johnson ordered us to get out.” He stared at the floor, clearly not wanting to move. 

Bobbie’s jaw clenched. Fuck. “Get back to your lab.” She looked at Weber and wanted to shoot him then and there for the expression on his face. “You too, I’ll wait till the Commander is done and then handle any clean up.” 

“Right, I’ll get the scientists to settle down.” Weber grabbed Kenneth’s shoulder. “Come on, this isn’t any reason to get less work done today.” 

She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Her fellow agent was being… just down the hall and she could do nothing. Years of training, months in Hydra, and one of a handful of people who scared her on the planet was keeping her from doing anything. She should have seen it coming. Commander Johnson never paid that much attention to just anyone. The reason for it should have been apparent. 

But she’d read the brief on the Commander. There’s been no mention of her being the type to use her position to get what she wanted. Not like this. Not to mention she was a woman. But this was Hydra. Bobbie should have noticed. She should have insisted Simmons got pulled. It had been her call. But she hadn’t made it. 

It was almost an hour later that finally the door to the blood lab opened. Bobbie watched as Johnson popped out, all loose limbs and cocky ease of a person who knew they were untouchable. It was galling to know it was true. 

Right behind, was a ruffled looking Simmons, her cheeks a bright red as she clearly was trying not to make eye contact. Johnson looked at Bobbie. “Officer Morse, did you need something?” 

“No Ma’am. Just settling down the scientists.” She took in Simmons out of the corner of one eye. The scientist hadn’t been brutalized that she could see, and she wasn’t moving like she was in pain. Sex mussed hair and the starting to show hicky just above her collar said there’d been no mistake in what had happened. “I can escort Dr Simmons back to her lab. Dr Kargaroff was wondering where his new biochemist had wandered off to.” 

Johnson paused, looking at her with sharp eyes. And then her eyes flicked to Simmons. “Good idea, I’ve got a mission debrief to run.” She let an amused sound as she looked at Simmons. “See ya later.” 

Bobbie waited till Johnson had left the hallway before turning properly to face Simmons. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

“What? No I’m fine.” Simmon’s had a plastered on smile as she looked up, waving her hand. 

She carefully didn’t touch or crowd the woman. “You need to get cleaned up. You’ve got something on your lab coat.” 

Simmon’s looked down at her lab coat and groaned. “Of course there is. There always is.” She looked up, her smile pained. “Lead the way Officer Morse.” 

Bobbie kept her hands folded behind her back, glaring anyone who so much as looked their way down as she escorted Simmons to the elevator. There was a sick feeling in her stomach. Everything in her wanted to puke. But you didn’t make it to her position without being able to hold back your physical reactions. 

It stabbed that in the elevator Simmons was as far away from her as possible without seeming rude. God. But then Simmons didn’t know Bobbie was SHIELD. And they were in a Hydra headquarters so that couldn’t change. As the doors opened, Bobbie kept an arms length away from Simmons while escorting her to the bathroom. 

Pausing outside the door she spoke slowly. “I can have some fresh clothing brought up if you’d like to change fully?” 

“Huh? Oh no I just need to get out of this lab coat. This is the third one this week. Honestly, I think Daisy is mucking them on purpose at this point.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “It’s not a big deal. And I need to go run that bloodwork before I go back to the lab. I really don’t need an escort.” 

Bobbie swallowed, this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Simmon’s was far too matter of fact about everything. This was sick, there was no way Coulson knew. Which meant Simmons had been keeping this to herself. She had to do something. This couldn’t continue. “You could take the day off if you wanted. Call out sick. Everyone gets sick.” 

“I’m not sick.” Simmons paused. “Are you going to just follow me everywhere?” 

Bobbie cursed Hydra as she tried to settle on how to communicate this. “You are a valuable member of Hydra. It would be remiss of me to ignore it if you needed anything.” She grit her teeth. “If you requested being moved to another facility I could assist in expediting that even.” 

“What? Why would…” Simmons went bright red. “You know about that then?” 

She forced her face not to show her horror. “It’s not uncommon for senior personnel to take certain liberties. Standard procedure for when the personnel is over level five is well… If you want out to a different facility.” 

“Wait..” Simmons frowned before her eyes widened in alarm. Her eyes darted up and down the hallway before stepping into the bathroom and pointedly leaving the door open. 

Bobbie followed, ensuring she didn’t stand between the door and Simmons. 

Simmon’s spoke in a hiss. “You think Daisy raped me?” 

“Commander Johnson is level eight, the World Killer, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Bobbie was going to have to do something to make up for how much humanity she was showing here. 

Simmons pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s not like that.” She leaned against the sinks. “I don’t know what it’s like but it’s not that. Besides being mortified I’m fine, really.” 

“That… of course. I’ll wait for you outside.” Bobbie stepped and considered that. Fuck. She didn’t know Simmons well enough to know exactly what was going on. But there were two options based off what a clearly terrible liar the woman was. One, Johnson was using her position to pressure Simmons into sex and Simmons was allowing it to keep her cover and out of fear of what would happen should she not comply. Second, Johnson was using her position to pressure Simmon’s into sex and Simmons was genuinly into it and beyond compromised. Either way Bobbie needed to get Simmons out.


	5. Jemma Knows More Than People Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma would very much appreciate if people would listen to her and Hydra could not be a nightmare for two minutes.

Jemma Simmons was not having a good day. Well to be fair it had been rather average, then spectacular, then terrible. But now she had Officer Morse, one of the most terrifying women she had ever seen, following her around because Kenneth and Carlson had apparently mistaken Daisy on a post mission high, as sexual assault. Dead god, with a Hydra security officer following her around she was bound to be made. 

Admittedly it was at least some consolation that Officer Morse had left her once they’d reached the World Killer Lab. Still, gossip had spread and she could feel Smith and Kargaroff’s eyes on her back while she worked on the sample. 

Jemma frowned as she looked at the sample. The radiation had fused the kree genetics with Daisy’s DNA. That was… she could work with that. Actually… She looked up. “Pratt, do we have any of Subject 1’s blood in cold storage?” 

“Why?” He walked over a certain swagger in his step. “You want to irradiate subject 1’s too as a point of comparison?” 

She frowned, he was the sort of slime to steal her idea if she mentioned it to him. “Exactly, it’s just interesting and there are several possibilities. And even if it doesn’t lead to development on it’s own it still furthers our knowledge of Inhuman DNA structures.” 

“Fair enough.” Pratt chuckled as he leaned his hip against her desk. “So, since you don’t mind that sort of thing, you do a little something for me and I’ll get you your sample. I mean that’s how you got on the team right?” 

Jemma’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you implying?” 

“I mean I wasn’t sure till a few hours ago, you just come across so wholesome, but if you’ll go down on a freak like Johnson.” He shrugged. 

She slid the sample out of the microscope and into her pocket. “On second thought I’ll put in the request to Dr Kargaroff. Wouldn’t want to put you out at all.” 

“Come on. I’m at least human.” He stepped into her personal space. 

Jemma slapped his hand away before he could touch her. “No. And don’t be at my station when I get back.” She turned and made quick steps over to Kargaroff’s station. 

He looked at her with a pained expression. “You ok?” 

“I’m fine.” She blew out through her nose. “Do we have samples still from Subject 1?” 

Kargaroff nodded. “We do, a significant amount. What do you need?” 

“I could use a vile of blood, and I’ll run the tests personally to ensure I don’t have a labtech add dye to this one.” Jemma paused and pointedly flicked her eyes to Pratt. “And if you happen to have a laxative in your desk.” 

Kargaroff’s mustache twitched. He opened the top drawer of his station. And there, next to the antacid was a laxative. “I’m getting older and well.” 

“Thank you.” She picked up the bottle and poured five into her hand. “Would you like some coffee?” 

He snorted. “I’m a scientist, I always want coffee.” He patted her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re alright kiddo.” 

“It’s not… don’t listen to gossip.” She touched his arm lightly. 

Kargaroff smiled and nodded. “Alright then.” 

Jemma walked to their coffee station. Six cups of coffee, made to everyone’s standards, extra laxatives with the sugar for Pratt, and her day might be turning around. 

Three hours later, on the dot, Jemma smirked to herself as Pratt made a run for the bathroom. It was a success then. She pulled out a file and frowned, it wasn’t more blood panels. It was clearly one of Daisy’s that she must have forgotten. Well, taking a brief look wouldn’t hurt. 

Jemma sucked in a startled breathe. It was a security breakdown of security at a Hydra installation. Her eyes flicked around the room. Taking this file back with her to report on would be insane. But if she took notes, shorthand. She could get this information to Coulson. Pulling out a fresh notebook she started transcribing. It was a good thing Fitz had wanted them to be able to pass notes.

She wrote quickly, barely processing the information as she worked. It took thirty minutes and she was closing the file, resticking it in her filing rack and slipping her notebook into her purse. Jemma sighed in relief, before picking up the correct file. Time to get back to work. If she was right, she might be able to replicate subject 1’s complete healing factor in subject 2. Not just the bastardized form of it that subject 2 currently had.

Jemma pulled up a clean sheet of paper and began to write out her theory, in short hand because she wasn’t an idiot. Most of her notes were in shorthand. She happened to know Smith’s notes were in a mathematical code he’d invented in middle school. But this concept was important. It could secure her position for good. Not just one improvement to the project. 

“Yo!” 

Jemma sighed, turning around and letting her lower back hit her lab table. “Johnson.” 

“Johnson?” Daisy blinked, clearly baffled as she stared at Jemma. 

And damn it all she was clearly confused. Jemma accepted she couldn’t exactly explain why she was miffed in the middle of the lab. It would be the height of unprofessionalism. Well no that was probably hooking up with Daisy in the blood lab. Saying no to the woman was impossible when she was looking at her with those stupid pretty eyes of hers. No one should be that lethal mix of sweet and hot. It wasn’t fair. “I’ll explain later. But did you need something? Because I do have work I need to do today.” 

“Right..?” Daisy shook her head. “I was planning on bugging you till you snapped at me and then go do boring paperwork.” 

Jemma sighed. “Can you not today? Please?” 

“Yeah I guess.” Daisy shrugged. “Is everything ok?” 

She smiled ever so slightly. “Yes everything is fine. But I do need to get the supplies for the next round of tests I want to do ordered, and how I intend to attempt this worked out before I start having actual samples.” 

“Ah.” Daisy relaxed. She bumped her lightly before strolling over to Kargaroff and starting up a conversation with him. “So, any progress I should know about?” 

Jemma tuned it out as she went back to her work. She hadn’t been lying. This was going to be incredibly delicate, partially because if she was too successful Hydra was going to be full of nothing but individuals with healing factors. If this was going to work, it had to work only with Daisy. One use and application. Important, groundbreaking, not going to create hundreds of super soldiers. 

She was just settling on an amount of three standard vials of kree blood for attempting genetic fusion between complementary genomes, when the door slammed open. 

“SIMMONS!” Pratt bellowed as he marched into the room, one hand protectively holding his stomach. 

Jemma snapped her head round, surprisingly not jumping out of her skin. Being regularly snuck up on by a level eight Hydra officer was useful for once. “Yes?” And then it clicked and she felt smug. 

He pointed at her sharply. “YOU POISONED ME!” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jemma forced herself to remain calm, she wasn’t doing a good job but it would have to do. “Hypothetically if I had, I would have used an over the counter laxative.” 

Pratt vibrated with furry. “I’ll report this!” 

Daisy cleared her throat, and when she spoke it was low and deadly. It sent shivers down everyone in the room’s spines. And not the good ones. “Why would doctor Simmons have poisoned you?” 

No one said anything. Jemma could feel the physical fear of the others in the room. She spoke slowly. “It’s nothing really. He just made a crass statement.” 

Daisy’s eyes were cold and narrowed as she looked at Pratt. “Enough for you to poison him?” 

“It was just a laxative.” Jemma offered slowly. 

Pratt puffed slightly. “She had no right.” 

“It wasn’t a big deal.” Smith spoke up from his station, his voice wavered. “He simply implied if she wanted favorable treatment she could service him the same way she um….serviced you earlier in the blood lab?” His voice had turned to a squeak as the room seemed to physically turn colder as he spoke. Smith kept speaking, likely a babble problem when nervous. “And tried to slap her behind. But she blew him off and we all knew she was going to poison him?” 

Pratt made a strangled sound of indignation when Smith said the whole lab had known she was going to poison him. And then his head exploded. 

Jemma flinched as the gore splattered the lab. 

Jemma felt numb as she walked home from work. She wasn’t the best at understanding human emotions. And she was full of a cacophony of them. This was why you weren’t supposed to be involved with anyone when undercover. It was confusing and complicated.

It felt like she was in a sludge or a dream as she opened her apartment door. Jemma swallowed as her heart rate spiked. “Officer Morse, what are you doing here?” Sheer terror ran through her veins. 

“Simmons.” Officer Morse stood from the dining room table. “We need to talk.”

She pressed a palm to her forehead. Closing the door behind her she faced her fate. “What is there for us to talk about?” 

“I already swept your apartment for bugs.” Morse was on her feet. “I’m SHIELD.” 

Jemma scoffed. “Please, that’s not possible. And actually insulting. I mean who falls for that?” 

Morse set the holo communicating box on the table and switched it on. A glowy blue Coulson looking up, in confusion from his desk. “What?” 

“I can explain?” Jemma squeaked as her back hit the door. Oh she was going to die. 

Coulson spoke up then. “Agent Morse? What are you doing in Simmons’s apartment?” 

“Wait…” Jemma flicked her eyes between Morse and Coulson. “She’s actually SHIELD?” 

Coulson blinked. “Yes, Agent Morse is also undercover with you. Has something happened?” He turned to look at Morse. 

Agent Morse nodded. “We need an emergency evac for Agent Simmons.” 

“Of course, what’s happened, is her cover blown?” Coulson was on his feet immediately alarmed, his eyes still on Morse. 

Morse’s face was tight as she spoke. “Commander Johnson-”

Jemma listened silently as things began to click into place. It was funny, all they were doing was talking about her in front of her without asking a single thing. But Morse was convinced that Daisy was some vile monster taking advantage of Jemma. That for her own safety, and ability to remain rational Jemma needed to be spirited back to SHIELD for her own safety. 

It was… Jemma cleared her throat. “I can speak, you know.” She looked at the surprised looking Coulson and slightly remorseful looking Morse. 

She tipped her chin up. “I have not been raped, thank you very much. Johnson hasn’t pressured or threatened me in any way. Yes she’s dangerous, has a concerning moral understanding but she’s not a threat to me and certainly wouldn’t punish me if I didn’t consent. Which I have, everytime.” 

“Simmons… consent when one person is a level eight Hydra weapon of mass destruction is…” Coulson trailed off at her truly deadly expression. 

Jemma could feel her voice turning sharp as she spoke. “No. I don’t think you understand, she’s not a threat to me. She wouldn’t hurt me. And even her position in Hydra is greatly exaggerated. She has a kill switch for god's sake. She is many things, and I may want to strangle her regularly but she’s not some psychopath like Dr Burns. And in her own way she cares about me. And unlike you two she actually listens to what I want.” 

“Simmons, being emotionally and physically involved with a Hydra agent is...” Morse swallowed. 

She flinched slightly. “ I know it’s a terrible idea. And I have no idea what exactly is happening between Daisy and I. I know I’m compromised but you need me to stay here.” 

“Simmons you’ve brought in good intel. But at this point leaving you in will be a disaster.” Coulson spoke up, his face all sympathetic. 

And the thing was she was here to prove to herself, that she could do it. That she could do more than just sit in a lab and be protected by everyone else. Jemma reached into her purse and pulled out her notebook. “I was going to report in the morning after I switched this from shorthand to plain english. But I’ll summarize for you. The Doctor, otherwise known as Faustus or Johann Fennhoff is running a cloning trial in two days in Virginia. The power necessary is being stolen from the grid. I have the layout, and security system details for the entire facility as well as the names of his top researchers on the project. If you want to prevent Hdyra from achieving human cloning you need me here.” 

“Not to mention I am scheduled to meet The Viper, Ophelia Sarkissian otherwise known as Madame Hydra next week. Well actually I’m supposed to blow something up so Daisy can escape having to deal with her. I’m sure you two super agents could come up with something useful for me to explode.” Jemma couldn’t believe she was talking this way but she was tired. It had been a long day and she was confused and had had someone’s head exploded on her. “I’ve been there for a weekly briefing with Whitehall himself, I get to hear Daisy complain about Bakshi and his research at length while she blows up fruit with her abilities.” 

“I even have access to alien blood. And if you don’t want the regeneration serum designed so that it only is non-fatal when injected into Daisy then pull me. But if I’m not there to ensure from the start it’s only compatible with one person, every Hydra goon will be regenerating from bullet wounds in days. Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Hydra is winning. If I make this serum I’ll be a level four Hydra scientist. I’ll have access to information from across departments. Like who is working for Hydra, what types of projects are being worked on and what they’ll need for those projects to be a success. SHIELD needs me here. Doing my job.” 

Coulson sighed. “We could find another way. If you’re in danger we can get you out.” 

“I’m as safe as one can be while undercover in Hydra can reasonably be.” Jemma replied, she kept back that she had a feeling she was far safer than most. 

Morse set her hands on her hips. “She’s not wrong. No one is going to suspect, or touch Commander Johnson’s newest plaything.” She bit at her lower lip. “I don’t like it. This whole op could go incredibly wrong. But I can’t access everything Simmons can.” 

Jemma spoke. “I can do this Sir.” 

Jemma woke slowly the next morning, to a knock on her door. With a sigh she got up and padded to her apartment door. She opened the door with a yawn. “Daisy?” 

“I wanted to apologize.” Daisy brandished a bag. “I brought your favorite.” 

She softened at the expression on Daisy’s face. “I’m surprised you knocked.” Jemma stepped to the side, opening the door further. 

Daisy slipped inside. “I got one of the security guys to talk. And I realize I probably made things difficult for you at work.” She bit at her lip, one foot rubbing up and down the back of her calf. 

“Well I suppose I don’t have to explain why I’m frustrated to you. Not that it’s just your fault.” Jemma smiled as she accepted a perfectly toasted bagel with cream cheese, and smoked salmon. “You are a terrible influence on me with your bad girl shenanigans.” 

“I also probably shouldn’t have exploded Pratt’s head on you. Sorry about making you puke.” She winced slightly. “I didn’t really think that through.” 

Jemma pulled two mugs from the shelf and filled them with coffee. She opened the fridge pulling the creamer out and picking up the sugar bowl. “I can handle myself. He’d have yelled some and then had to run to the bathroom again.” 

“I’ll keep in mind you can handle sexist pricks in future.” Daisy held out a handgun. “But I did file the paperwork for you to carry this. Less poison, just shoot them next time.” 

Jemma paused. “You got me a gun?” 

“You do know how to shoot one right?” Daisy stared at her in horror. 

She poured the coffee. “Of course I do. I’ve been putting in two hours a week at the shooting range on weekends.” 

“Good for you.” Daisy smiled as she accepted her cup of coffee. “So…. how mad are you about everything? Because you’re being far nicer than I was expecting.” 

Jemma pointed at her. “No more lab sex. If other people or cameras are there or could be there no sex.” 

“Understandable.” Daisy took a bite of her own bagel, cinnamon blueberry with cream cheese.

She sat down on the barstool by the kitchen island. “Should I be worried about your ex’s? The phrase ‘newest plaything’ was used.” 

“Ex’s?” Daisy snorted. “Please, I prefer not to fuck people at Hydra. More of a nightclub one night stand type. You’re just adorable.” She raised her cup in a slight salute before taking a drink. 

Jemma paused as she parsed that. “Wait, you have been in an actual relationship before right?” 

“Not a relationship type. Besides, whole thing seems pretty pointless to me. This isn’t one of those you want some weird commitment thing conversations right?” Daisy’s eyes widened in alarm. 

Jemma let out a sound of surprise and amusement. Dear Lord. “No, just curious.” Well that was… Daisy hadn’t the slightest clue that this was very much not a friends with benefits relationship. This was textbook dating dynamics. But level eight, Hydra badass was clearly clueless as to this fact. “So am I allowed to know what your mission was yesterday? You certainly were riled after it.” 

She listened partially as Daisy smugly talked about a Russian military base. Most of her though was trying to place what she knew of the woman. Kidnapped as a young teen, raised as a scientific experiment, somehow despite a killswitch and being everything Hydra hated had managed to fight her way out of the experiment cages and achieve agent status. And to be a Commander by age twenty five was insane. 

When would she have had time for anything? Of course it made sense that Daisy wasn’t aware she was acting like an overprotective girlfriend. Because when would have Daisy learned what that even looked like outside of agents making dumb decisions? Jemma swallowed her coffee with a sick feeling in her stomach. This was… But then Daisy wasn’t loyal really was she? Loyal soldiers don’t have kill switches.

It was a crazy idea. But for god's sake Daisy deserved the chance to get out. Didn’t she? 

Jemma pulled on her goggles before carefulling introducing the kree blood to her sample. Dropping a glass stirrer in and carefully mixed the compounds. Withdrawing it she picked up the beaker. 

With painfully slow, and gentle movements she set it in the radiation chamber. The gentle clink of it setting down was exciting. She might have it. Closing and securing the door she flipped the switch. “Well alright then.” If this worked she had just made a major medical breakthrough. 

“Which test is that?” Kargaroff asked curiously. 

She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m attempting to use nuclear radiation to fuse subject 1’s DNA with subject 2’s using the Kree blood as a bonding structure. If I’m right….” 

“Theoretically subject 2 could inherit subject 1’s full healing factor.” He breathed out. “That’s brilliant. How did you stabilize it?” 

“It’s a new triple helix stabilizing agent that was just synthesized out of Japan. If I’m right it’ll only be possible between Subject 1 and 2 however. The commonalities in their DNA structure is remarkable.” Jemma excitedly shared. Surprisingly those commonalities were why she was highly doubtful she could have made this serum in a way that could have wide use application. Her initial fears apparently were unfounded. 

Kargaroff laughed. “Yes, that was a stroke of luck. I remember how excited Whitehall and I were when we found out Subject 1 had a daughter. And then you know Subject 2’s abilities. Certainly took our immortality project in an entirely new direction. But that’s science for you. One day you’re working on immortality, the next you’ve gone and created a weapon of mass destruction beyond regular human comprehension.” 

“Daughter.” Jemma stilled utterly. “I should have realized that. The number of commonalities alone should have...but the Kree injections, it was altering their DNA structure so I didn’t put it together.” 

He nodded. “Exactly, impressive as always Dr Simmons. If Subject 1 had been in better shape when we brought in Subject 2 we might have had more options. But well by the time we realized the typical tests post terrigenesis had ruined Subject 2’s heart it was too late. It was a shame to have to dispose of Subject 1. The advances we made off her physiology. I still regret that, it was funny, they held hands when we made the heart transplant.” 

“They were conscious...sorry of course they were.” Jemma swallowed bile as she focused on the machine infront of her. Of course there was a killswitch in Daisy’s neck. Without it what was to stop Daisy from killing the people who had not only sliced and tortured her for years but also done the same to her mother? It was so past ethical limitations it… you didn’t do things like that because you were curious, because the science led you there. You did it because you wanted to see how much pain you could make a human being go through. 

She felt a fog, likely her only thing saving her from turning and stabbing a scalpel into Kargaroff’s neck. The man had a wife, children, grandchildren. He seemed so normal. But he was a monster. 

Jemma clicked off the machine. Pulling on the lead lined gloves she reached in, pulling out her beaker. 

Carrying it over to her lab station she clicked on the camera so Kargaroff could see what she was going to see under the microscope. Pulling out a dropper she took a small sample and dropped it on a clean slide. With careful motions she clicked it into place under her microscope and looked at what she’d just made. 

Jemma heard Kargaroff laughing in victory as he slapped her shoulder. 

She just straightened, feeling sick as it dawned on her what this success was going to mean for Daisy. Because fuck it all she was beyond compromised. “I did it.” 

“I’ll send word to Commander Johnson and Whitehall. We can perform the procedures by the end of the week. This is excellent.” He beamed at her, his eyes full of pride and excitement. “You are a true asset to Hydra Simmons.” 

///

Daisy flicked through the science babble. “Will it work?” 

“Yes I think it will.” Whitehall replied, his voice was delighted. “It’s so simple, elegant, and intuitively brilliant. I must say, your selection of Doctor Simmons for the project is inspired. She will certainly go far if this is what she brings to the table. Have her select Doctor Pratt’s replacement, I’m curious who she’ll bring onto the team.” 

“Probably the lab leader from level one. He’s got the qualifications and they’ve worked together on the bone steroids.” Daisy frowned as she looked at the list of required supplies. “Will you be running this one?” 

Whitehall tapped his finger on the desk, one of the mind controlled drones brought him a fresh cup of tea. “I believe I’ll observe. See the future at work for myself.” He looked up at her. “No reservations about having a quart of your mother’s blood transfused into you?” 

“Well, I already have her heart.” Daisy flipped the page she was on. “Sarkissian is arriving at the end of the week. Anything I should keep in mind?” 

He picked up his china teacup. “Nothing, good luck with your and Bakshi’s plot. Be careful not to drag me into it however.” 

“Of course, we know where our bread is buttered. Boss.” Daisy pulled out her phone. “I hear Sarkissian has suffered two attacks, and both used her own weapons against her.” 

Whitehall’s lips twitched. “Terrible business that. A tad obvious but I have faith you’ll succeed.” 

“And once we do, that would give you control of three out of four of the heads of Hydra.” Daisy slid her phone back into her pocket and stood up. “I told you I’d make a better tool than labrat.” 

He chuckled. “You have certainly exceeded my expectations. Afterall you are truly spectacular. But Daisy, do be careful the full scope of your abilities doesn’t leak out too widely. I’d hate to advance things. Eradicating the Avengers and world government too soon would be difficult.” 

“Well I’m getting quite good at control. Working on targeting specific organs in the human body at the moment.” She missed the work with Jemma, but for this work Burns had taken over. It was probably for the best. 

Whitehall sipped at his tea. “Then I looked forward to Friday. You should have recovered enough to handle Sarkissian by her arrival on Sunday.” 

“I’ll make sure Kargaroff knows the schedule.” Daisy hopped to her feet and made for the door. “Anything else?” 

He reached out picking up his pen. “No, that’s all.” 

She stepped out and shut the door. Well it would seem things were moving ahead. Daisy set her radio receiver in her ear. “This is Johnson, Officer Morse report to the third floor in thirty minutes.” 

Daisy didn’t bother to listen for a reply, she just pulled it out and stuffed it into her pocket. That gave her more than enough time to leave a very specific USB drive with Jemma. Afterall, spies needed intel or they got pulled. Besides, stage two of turning Faustus and Sarkissian against each other was coming. And Jemma was always fun to drop in on.

Daisy ran through Officer Morse’s files on the holo table. It was funny, looking at the woman’s file she simply looked like a fast riser. Someone competent, slightly questionable recruitment but everyone’s recruitment right after they got outed was. But adding that to the woman’s clear alarm and protective instinct when it came to Simmons told a different story. Surprising, but it would seem she’d found her second SHIELD infiltrator. So much for looking at people who came in the same month as Jemma. 

“Ma’am, you called for me?” Officer Morse asked as she entered the room. 

Daisy looked up, pointedly leaving Morse’s file displayed. “Yes, I’m going to need you and Officer Weber to shadow me this coming Sunday.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Morse replied. 

Daisy grinned. “But Barbra?” 

“It’s unfortunate.” Morse replied. “My friends call me Bobbie not Barbie. Not that that is relevant, but if we’re talking names.” 

She shrugged. “Well I’m The World killer, and my first name is Daisy. So the little white delicate flower was probably not the most suitable name for me.” 

“We can make a club. Hydra agents with unsuitable names.” Morse replied dryly. “Is that all Ma’am?” 

Daisy smirked. “And finally I get a glimmer of personality out of you.” She waved the woman off. “That’s all.” 

Daisy smiled as she dumped her third bag of popcorn into the largest mixing bowl in Jemma’s kitchen. “So m&m's?” 

“I’ve got the wine.” Jemma called as she set the glasses down on the coffee table. “Do I want to know why you apparently have so many Avengers themed throw blankets.” 

Daisy dropped the popcorn on the table while picking up the Hulk blanket. “I don’t know, I think they’re kind of cool. Complete idiots. But kinda cool. The Hero’s of New York.” 

“So you have their merch because you want to make fun of them?” Jemma wrapped the Captain America blanket around her shoulders while curling up on the couch. 

Daisy settled down, leaning against Jemma. “Pretty much. And it may be treasonous of me but the things I would do to get my hands on Thor’s arms.” 

“They are spectacular.” Jemma giggled while picking up the remote. “Are you sure you’re ok with watching my boring documentary?” 

Daisy’s eyes crinkled as she looked at her scientist. “I run a biology department, I might even understand half of it.” 

“You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.” Jemma curled her fingers in Daisy’s hair before kissing her softly. “Thank you.” 

Daisy felt warm and fuzzy as she looked at her scientist. “A documentary on the deep sea and I get a kiss like that? Well aren’t I lucky.” 

Daisy was groggy as the second episode of the documentary series started up. She felt safe as she lay on Jemma’s couch, her head on Jemma’s shoulder, Jemma’s fingers running through her hair. It was warm, and just…. Daisy could feel the tension in her muscles gone. She let her eyes close and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Bobbie's Life Gets Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Science is done, evil agendas furthered and Bobbie has a really bad day.

Jemma woke slowly, she smiled as she felt Daisy was still in her arms. She let herself have this moment to breathe in the smell of Daisy’s shampoo, feel the warmth of her, how soft she was. It didn’t make the situation any less complicated. But it felt important. 

“I can feel you staring.” Daisy murmured, her eyes still closed. 

She reached up trailing her fingers down Daisy’s nose. “Just thinking how the big bad Commander Johnson is a little spoon.” 

“Hmmm…” Daisy rolled over, nipping at Jemma’s fingers. “They wouldn’t believe you.” 

Jemma pressed a light kiss on Daisy’s nose. “You’re ridiculous is what you are.” 

“True.” Daisy hooked her leg and flipped Jemma to her back. She grinned down at her, straddling her waist. “So technically morning control training is cancelled today.” 

One of her hands automatically settled on Daisy’s bare hip. Her other hand ran down Daisy’s chest, easily finding the soft bump that was the raised scar of the Y-incision down her front. Jemma felt it, just how deep this complication had become. “If you could go anywhere, do anything, what would you do?”

“Is this your sneaky way of asking me to whisk you away to someplace exotic. Someplace with a beach maybe?” Daisy’s head tilted, a playful look on her face. 

Jemma shook her head slightly. “No, I have vacation days and Hydra pays well. I can whisk myself away to someplace exciting.” She held Daisy’s eyes. “If we weren’t Hydra, what would you want to be doing? I think I’d make a pretty awesome surgeon if I hadn't gone into biochemistry.” 

“Huh…” Daisy leaned back slightly. She seemed to consider it. “I always liked computers, I could have been a hacker. Cool style, think I could pull it off as well as I pull off high level Nazi Commander with octopus arms instead of swasticas?” 

Jemma pushed up slightly, her hands sliding into Daisy’s hair. “I think you’d make a terrifying hacker.” She kissed Daisy slowly before pulling back. “And I think we have an hour before we need to be back.” 

“Listening to my bad girl ideas.” Daisy fused their mouths back together pushing her back down into the bed. 

And then well, Jemma was finding new appreciation for Daisy’s powers. Though it was unsurprisingly becoming far softer, the longer this went on. 

If she left several light scratches down Daisy’s back that wasn’t her fault and Jemma was sticking to that story. Especially since the entire team was going to see Daisy’s back in a few hours. 

Jemma carefully double checked everything was just how she’d left it the night before. It was imperative that everything was correct. They were about to bleed, then infuse Subject 1’s blood into Daisy. Then they were going to inject Kree blood mixed with the serum Jemma had created, before sticking Daisy in a radiation chamber and turning it on. It was just a tad terrifying to be doing this to a human without so much a single rat test. It was insane. 

“Doctor Simmons.” Whitehall interrupted her thoughts. 

She turned, carefully pulling off her latex gloves as she did so. “Do you need anything Sir?” 

“Walk with me.” His attention had shifted to where Smith and Richards were double checking the radiation chamber. 

Jemma tossed her gloves into a trashcan while stepping besides the Head of Hydra. She didn’t say anything as they began to walk through the testing rooms. 

He spoke, his voice completely even. “You’ve done good work here at Hydra. Two breakthroughs in so little time. I took the liberty of requesting your file. Truly impressive. I think you have a great future ahead of you here. And you’ve become involved with my protege.” 

“Daisy Sir?” Jemma swallowed. “I mean it’s-” 

“Certainly not where I was expecting her taste to lie. But then, I suppose I never really thought of her taking a lover. Foolish on my part. Inhumans are still animals just like us humans.” He looked...amused. “We’re fortunate she chose someone who will continue to incentivise her to remain loyal.” 

Jemma nodded. “Of course.” 

“Good.” Whitehall said. “After this test Bakshi has requested you for one of his projects. Temporarily of course. Wouldn’t want to lose our shooting star to a new project so soon.” 

She forced herself to smile. “What project would that be Sir?” 

“Commander Johnson returned one of our old test subjects back to us a month ago. Your insights could prove just as useful.” He allowed as he came to a stop. “And I believe the lab is ready for you to begin.” 

Jemma felt jittery as she watched the face of evil walk toward the observation deck. There were several interested looking upper level scientists gathered to watch. She flexed her hands before stepping forward to where Daisy was wearing bike shorts and a tanktop. “Are you ready?” 

“Always am.” Daisy rolled her shoulders before hopping up on the metal exam table. 

Kargaroff hit the lights. “Let us begin.” 

Dr Burns rolled the tools over and picked up a large bore needle. “Ready to bleed Subject 2 of a quart of blood.” 

“Let’s do it.” She gently swabbed Daisy’s inner elbow, and then slid the needle in. Jemma didn’t need to look, but she did to see that Doctor Burns had done the same on Daisy’s other arm.

Jemma barely kept from shuddering as she injected the serum into Daisy’s arm. She held eye contact with Daisy as she did it. Her stomach threatened to rebel. It was wrong. This was wrong. As soon as the syringe was empty she pulled it out, applying light pressure to encourage coagulation where the needle had been. “Do you feel anything?” 

“A little light headed.” Daisy replied easily. She twitched, her body shivering. “There, I can feel the Kree.” 

Jemma nodded. “Move her into the chamber, now.” 

Two security goons hooked Daisy under the arms and dragged her into the radiation chamber. Daisy had barely hit the metal floor of the machine before she started seizing.

Both men got out as fast as they could. And then Smith was closing and locking the door.

"Now Doctor Richard." Jemma ordered, eyes riveted to Daisy's vitals. As soon as the switch was flipped the tech taking the readings went dark. 

She carefully disposed of the syringe she was still holding to stand by Kargaroff. "It's working."

"Of course it is. The numbers and your lab trials with tissue samples were successful. Have a little faith in yourself Doctor Simmons." He never looked away from the machine. 

Jemma steeled herself as the time counted by. And then the machine powered down. Smith unlocked the door and pulled it open. 

A pretty assigned labtech aimed a high powered hose inside and sprayed it down and Daisy in it. As soon as the water spray came to an end Jemma was inside the machine, her fingers finding Daisy's pulse.

She sighed in relief, her shoulders dropping as she felt that familiar, healthy pulse. Looking up she made eye contact with the labtech. "I need some towels, and wheel the medical bed over. We need to get her dry and hooked back up so we can monitor her." 

Jemma didn't move from Daisy's side in the following burst of movement. She made sure Daisy was dried and put in standard Hydra sweats before being put into a hospital bed and the wires and iv reattached. 

She couldn't help herself brushing some hair out of Daisy's unconscious face. Then she moved away grabbing the appropriate saline drips. Daisy was going to need electrolytes, vitamins, saline, and antibiotics. In short order there was a comforting beeping as the machines measured her vitals. 

"Let's see if there's any signs of how it went." Kargaroff sliced a short, quarter inch incision into the meat of Daisy's palm.

Jemma snapped her attention to him. "Really? She's not even conscious and if it is already working the damage from the radiation would already be using up what energy I'm funneling into her body right now. Twenty four hours before we start testing to see the results. Minimum." 

"You're underestimating yourself." He looked pointedly down at Daisy's palm.

Jemma frowned following his gaze only to freeze, because it wasn't fast, but it was visibly starting to clot. "Oh."

"It's a success!" Kargaroff slapped her on the shoulder. He looked up at the observation room. "Subject 2 is demonstrating early signs of Subject 1's full healing factor." 

Whitehall raised his hands and clapped.

////

Bobbie Morse had learned a lot about Hydra by working for SHIELD, and she was seeing why SHIELD had fallen so quickly while working for Hydra. Once she was out, if she survived, if SHIELD survived the coming year, then she was going to have some suggestions to make them harder to kill. But she was also starting to realize one of Hydra’s strengths might be it's greatest opportunity for falling. 

To be blunt, the Heads of Hydra hated each other. She'd known this objectively from her first few weeks at the Tokyo facility. But watching Whitehall shaking hands with The Viper was making it very real.

The two of them were predators eying the other for weakness. It didn't last long before Bakshi was triumphantly whisking Whitehall away on 'urgent' business. 

Commander Johnson stepped forward, all lazy nonchalance despite the fact Bobbie was aware the woman was still in rather acute pain from her procedure the day before. Jemma’s report included that apparently badly healed injuries were repairing themselves. She’d wanted to keep Johnson in the hospital bed for a week. “Madame Sarkissian, now that the boys are off to play with their toys how about I give you that tour? I have to say you surprised us coming a day early, but we're always able to impress.” 

“Please, men can be exhaustingly uninteresting.” Sarkissian held out her hand. 

Johnson easily lifted it and kissed the woman's knuckles with an easy grace of long habit. Though a certain disregard to her posture. “Especially with their mind control. They just can’t accept dissent of any sort. It’s unimaginative.” 

“Bakshi poaching your people again?” Sarkissian raised an exactly sculpted eyebrow. Everything about the woman was perfect, sharp, and deadly. Not a hair out of place, a blemish upon her skin, or speck of dust upon her clothing. With her heels she was just over Bobbie’s natural height. 

Johnson folded her hands behind her back as she led The Viper to their central elevator. “He’s as insufferable as always. Rumor has it you’re dealing with your own mind controlling asshole.” 

“Yes, Faustus. Don’t worry, I’m more than capable of settling it without dragging anyone else into our squabble.” Sarkissian’s sharp eyes settled on Johnson as the elevator doors closed. “But then I suppose if it gets out of hand I wouldn’t be the only female Head anymore.” 

Johnson’s lips pulled up showing teeth just ever so slightly. “Is this asking me to assist with your squabble? Because I have to say dealing with Bakshi is getting tiring.” 

Bobbie felt a shiver go down her spine as she stood at attention behind the two highest ranked women in Hydra. She hadn’t realized Johnson was on the brink of becoming a Head in her own right. Forget terrifying, it was the monster wanting off the leash of a psychopath because it was limiting her. This was apocalyptic. 

“Possibly.” Sarkissian replied as they stepped out of the elevator. 

Johnson waived them forward. “Welcome to basement level four, we call it our recycling center. Nothing as flashy as your weapons programs, but I think you’ll be impressed.” 

They entered the glass walled, walkway over the lofted ceiling room. Down below them, were two scientists autopsying the dead test subjects. Doctor Burns was far too cheerful as he was slicing a new subject open. 

Sarkissian eyed the room, the walls covered with metal hatches that hid bodies behind them in cold storage, the excellent drainage system, trays of surgical tools. It was a very professional and effective system. “You're showing me your biological chop shop? Please this is nothing.” 

“They’re failures at recreating me.” Johnson shrugged. “And you have to admit I’m impressive enough for this to be worth it.” 

Sarkissian made a soft ‘ah’ sound. “I see, no luck on replicating you then?” 

“That would be telling, but let’s say things have changed.” Johnson looked down at the butchery with a sharp attentiveness. And then every dead body’s head on the autopsy tables exploded simultaneously. “But let’s just say we’re making great strides.” 

Sarkissian’s head snapped to Johnson. “You’re more magnificent every time we meet.” 

“Progress in action. Less cool looking than your missiles, or your truly impressive array of poisons or criminal empire. But then, Whitehall has a World Killer.” Johnson led them around a circuit of the room. 

Bobbie watched silently. If SHIELD was going to survive, both of these women needed to die. And unfortunately for Jemma it was going to be Johnson that was most imperative that she died. Her eyes caught the faint trembling in Johnson’s fingers as she shoved her hands into her pockets. 

“Yes, yes. Whitehall with his great and terrible World Killer and bioweapons that turn his enemies to stone. Too flashy for me, a simple poison kills my enemies just as well and is far easier to weaponize.” Sarkissian dismissed. “Now, if only he could create a weapon that isn’t a bullet to the brain away from being a body down in this basement.” 

Johnson laughed. “Underestimating your allies? You’re slipping Madame Viper.” 

“Perhaps, or are you not mortal like the rest of us? Magnificent weapon in the flesh that you are, your other abilities impress me more.” Sarkissian reached out grabbing the front of Johnson’s tactical jacket and dragged her in kissing her hard. 

Johnson rocked back on her heels, head cocked slightly. “Do I want to know what that was for?” 

“Hear you prefer the fairer sex.” Sarkissian raised a brow. 

Johnson huffed with an amused glint in her eye. “See and unfortunately for you I know you prefer your lovers with a dick. And lots of muscles and that you enjoy feeding cobra venom to the ones that disappoint you. Which means you want access to something that’s not my skills in bed.” 

“Smart and beautiful, such a shame.” Sarkissian kept on walking like nothing had happened. 

Johnson pulled out a disinfectant wipe and whipped her mouth off before tossing it at Bobbie. “Our guest doesn’t just use toxins that will kill you.” She looked at Sarkissian. “LSD laced?” 

“And DMT, it’s a new mix.” Sarkissian remarked while stepping into the elevator. 

Johnson hummed. “Feel free to test on any of my people stupid enough to lt you touch them.” She made eye contact with Bobbie. “Send anyone stupid enough to get drugged by her to this floor level after some time with Lab World Killer.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Bobbie replied while falling back into place just behind Johnson’s shoulder. 

Bobbie felt some alarm as they approached Bakshi’s wing where she knew Simmons was working. She was distinctly unsettled as she listened to Sarkissian and Johnson. But she felt more like facepalming as she saw Simmons sitting on a stool facing Subject Gill and talking to him with a face full of sympathy. 

“Well doesn’t that one just have a sweet touch.” Sarkissian remarked as they looked into the room. 

Johnson shrugged. “It works.” 

“And if I tried to poach her?” Sarkissian asked. 

Johnson’s eyes didn’t move from Simmons’s shoulders. “I’d kill you where you stood and stage a coup against your entire organization. I mean handing me an excuse to unseat you like that. She’s level four. We both know that’s just rude messing with level fours on anything sensitive. Or would you expect anything different if I poached your Dr Muller?” 

“Touche.” Sarkissian flicked her hair. “Enough of this, shall we talk business. Privately?” 

Johnson held out her hand gesturing to the elevator. “I was hoping you’d ask.” She looked at Bobbie. “Morse, you’re dismissed.” 

“Ma’am.” She saluted as the two of them disappeared into the elevator. 

Bobbie took a second to breath. Well, that had been enlightening. She turned slightly and internally winced at the sight of Simmons talking with Donnie Gill. Poor kid was going to need therapy for months to deal with how attached she was to the people here. 

With a slight shake of her head she made her way to the other elevator. It was a relief to walk to the security room. “Weber, what are they doing?” 

“Johnson killed the camera’s in her office five minutes ago.” He replied by taking a handful of popcorn as he watched the screens. “Sarkissian's people haven’t wandered, and their shadows haven’t been so obvious they’ve felt the need to do anything.” 

Bobbie dropped down into a chair next to him. “I’ve never been so glad to work for Whitehall before.” 

“Amen, selecting your Head is basic Hydra survival. Might jumpship with Johnson when she gets the promotion.” He tossed a kernel up and nabbed it out of the air with his mouth. 

She paused. “You don’t think there’d be consequences to leaving Whitehall?” 

“Naw, Whitehall owns Johnson so no conflict in following her when she takes over another Head’s projects. Besides, hopping in early days means promotion. I could end up running security for a facility, which is level six. The vacation days and insurance options at level six will make my husband very happy.” He folded his hands behind his head. 

Bobbie gave a slight thought to that. If Johnson wasn’t about to conquer the planet for Hydra it would be an excellent option for increasing her access to information. “I think I'll stay here. It's Dependable."

"Fair enough, so I was watching and Adam's from lab sixteen put a razor blade in his lunch. If Jacobs steals his lunch again today we might be sending Doc Burns a new test subject. Wanna wager on if?" He looked over at her curiously.

Bobbie co sided it. "No bet, unless some tips Jacob's off he'll fall for it."

"You're boring sometimes. I mean the stone cold bitch thing is effective, but you need to get out. There's this nightclub, Black Cat, nice place. Put on a dress, work out some frustrations. Could do you some good." He offered the bag of popcorn.

Bobbie grabbed a handful, eyes following the goings on of the building. Looked like Simmons was going to blow up the computer room. "And I should believe you why?"

"I haven't been to a club since I got hitched. But Johnson used to troll the place sometimes. Not having to have security follow her on her escapades has been nice. Not sure what that cute scientist is doing, but she's got to be doing it well." He hummed thoughtfully.

She hated the whole situation. Simmons was in way too deep but the information she was getting was too vital. Two successful hits saving countless lives. "You're an asshole, and your husband is an idiot for marrying you."

"Fair, but you gotta be at least a little bit curious about what that girl can do. I mean Johnson doesnt fuck inside Hydra. At least she hasn't before." Weber grunted. "Speaking of our cute little brit what is she doing?"

Bobbie's jaw ached from the tension in it. "She's going to blow up one of the computer banks. Johnson wants an excuse to escape The Viper. Maybe make sure the sprinklers trigger over our new guests?"

"Why?" Weber looked at her curiously.

She pulled up the security system on the computer. "Because it will amuse me."

"That's the spirit Morse!" Weber leaned forward and pointed to the screen. "That's the sprinkler system."

Bobbie starred as she realized the information Jemma had grabbed of the computer bank before blowing it up, was Fausus's security grid. Clearly Bakshi had been spying on the man. It was a coup. A chance for SHIELD to strike back. Stop playing defense for once. 

"She's bringing in good intel." Coulson said carefully.

Bobbie felt a migraine coming on. "She's sleeping with a future head of Hydra. And what if Simmons is right, and Johnson does give a shit about her? You think that will save her if her cover is blown? For God's sake she's befriending the other test subjects now. Why would you put someone like her in the field!?"

"She needed a chance to prove herself outside of the lab. We needed to know what Hydra was doing." Coulson sighed crossing his arms. "Do you think she could use her position to kill Commander Johnson?"

Bobbie ran a hand through her hair. "No. She's half way in love with the woman, and more importantly she's a scientist not an assassin. Johnson would see it coming a mile away."

"Do you think you could get a window to assassinate the woman?" He asked.

She leaned against her kitchen counter. "I can try, but Sir she's trained enough I can't guarantee I'd win in a fight, and that's before her powers. If I do get a chance it would have to be fast, and Johnson doesn't trust anyone."

"If you have the opportunity, take it. This cover isn't worth losing a chance at putting down the World Killer." He rolled one of his sleeves down. "Anything else?"

Bobbie took a drink from her beer. "Whatever controls the kill switch in Johnson's head is transferable and The Viper wants it. She wants it bad enough she's willing to work with Johnson, whom she despises, just for a chance at securing it."

"Huh, well at least their distrust might help us if played right. Good work Agent Morse." He chuckled. "You might be interested that Hunter is an official SHIELD agent now."

Bobbie blinked. "Well that's unexpected."

“He’s good.” Coulson said. 

She smiled ever so slightly, she’d been right. “I’ll report using the lamainte unless there’s any significant changes.” Bobbie hit the button killing the holographic projection of Coulson. She sighed in exhaustion before dropping into one of the wooden chairs at her kitchen table. 

Bobbie stabbed her fork into her carton of broccoli beef, and sipped her beer. The apartment was empty, decorated out of a Target bargain bin. It was impersonal, and empty. She took a bite of her take out. Undercover was undercover.

Bobbie crossed her legs as she sat down in Johnson’s office. “You asked to see me ma’am?”

“We’re waiting on two other people before we get properly started. But you’ve done a good job finding spies. But haven’t found any SHIELD infiltrators. With how good you are though you have to have suspects.” Johnson tapped a pencil against her lips as she leaned back in her chair. “How likely do you think it is you could pass information to SHIELD?” 

Bobbie paused. “Excuse me? Wouldn’t that be helping the enemy?” 

“Enemy?” Johnson laughed. “Please, SHIELD is an irritant at best. It’s a broken remnant of lost idealists struggling to survive in a world where they’re already obsolete. But they can be useful.” 

She frowned. “How?” 

“Because the old guard is still scared of monsters in the dark. Too much time worrying about their historic enemy.” Johnson passed a file to Bobbie. “Think you could find a way to funnel that to SHIELD?” 

This had to be a trap...right? “I’m sure I could find a mercenary willing to ‘sell’ the information to SHIELD for the right price. I don’t have any strong possibilities till we fill our current employment holes.” Bobbie opened the file and frowned. “What is this?” 

“A convoy that I’d like to not reach its destination but I can’t touch.” Johnson shrugged. “By the way, don’t run extra tests on science lab Kenneth who just got brought up to project World Killer.” 

Bobbie looked at her boss curiously. “Why?”

“Well I knew someone in the level one lab was SHIELD. And the information I’ve been leaving on Simmons’s desk got acted on. Funny that, and Simmons’s isn’t SHIELD. Thought she might be, no one is that useful to the enemy. Or agrees when I ask them if they want to fuck me.” Johnson opened up her bottle of water and took a drink. “But Simmons let’s her friend see her files, and SHIELD weakens my rivals. Don’t tip the idiot off.” 

She felt her heart beat hard. That answered several questions and was alarmingly close to a complete disaster. And her role meant she was going to have to risk poking at a miracle. “If he’s SHIELD, why let him on the World Killer project? And he’s married.” 

“His ‘wife’ works for local law enforcement. She’s a detective, good cover for baby’s first infiltration. Do leave him alone.” Johnson clicked something on her laptop, complete with garish unicorn stickers on the back. 

She took a moment to take that in. Simmons had had a level eight, senior official sniffing around and her sheer stupidity of actually sleeping with evil had saved her life. It was… this mission was cursed. So cursed. “Yes ma’am. Should I at least have everywhere he’s been double checked?” 

“Do it.” Johnson didn’t look up. 

They were safe...for now. Bobbie didn’t twitch at all as Weber and Bakshi entered the room and the door was locked.


	7. Jemma Blows Up Everyone's Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are lines in the sand, and Jemma finds hers. Everyone else would have liked a heads up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter after this guys! I just wanted to thank you all for the great comments and for reading this story. It's been a really fun ride.

Daisy closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall outside of the lab. She was risking a lot, running too much at the same time, the slightest flaw and she ended up in the basement. But then, she hadn’t crawled out of that basement without knowing a single mistake would send her back. And she hadn’t been sent back yet. 

Her two little SHIELD spies were running around and ravaging Faustus’s infrastructure, and Morse was having silent conniptions over Daisy’s professed belief that Kenneth was SHIELD. But it would keep Morse distracted enough to not realize she’d been made. Or Simmons had been made. 

Bakshi was too busy with their plot to replace Sarkissian and Faustus to stab her in the back, that and he needed her to pull it off. Whitehall was satisfied with her current progress, and she had control of Whitehall’s facilities. 

Daisy opened her eyes, looking through the glass at Simmons, who was peering into a microscope while excitedly babbling to Kenneth about something sciency. She knew she was going to win. Daisy would be a Head of Hydra, and she wasn’t going to lose her scientist over it. Power, security, safety. And Bakshi wouldn’t be joining her in the big boys club.

Jemma was laughing as she pulled her gloves off, before spotting Daisy, her face turning bright and happy. 

She rocked back with a grin as Simmons stepped out of the lab. “Yo.” 

“What are you doing here? I thought you were upstairs today.” Jemma brushed past her. 

Daisy smiled, falling into step with her scientist. “Change of plans, I have new hires to go terrify to find out which ones are worth keeping and which aren’t. Officer Patterson won’t be done with the first pass for spies for thirty minutes.” 

“And there’s a janitorial closet just down the hall.” Jemma turned crossing her arms. “You’re incorrigible.” 

“But hot.” Daisy wiggled her eyebrows. “Thoughts?” 

Jemma hooked their arms together. “You’re a terrible influence.” 

Daisy paused as she felt her phone buzz. “Raincheck.” She said while pulling out her phone.

“Good luck Johnson.” Jemma laughed as she kept walking towards the elevator. 

She sighed while answering the phone. “This better be important.” 

-”My private lab Miss Johnson.”- Whitehall’s voice ordered and then he hung up. 

Daisy sighed as she slipped her phone into her pockets. Well there went her free time. And it had been such a good day. 

She watched as Whitehall dug around inside of a cadaver. “Rare to see you operate on the dead.” 

“Sometimes the dead still speak, even if their voices are silenced.” Whitehall replied, his plastic gloves reached past his elbows. “Progress report.” 

Daisy watched as Whitehall lifted a spleen out of the body cavity and set it in a stainless steel dish. “On which project?” 

“Your coup against Viper and the Doctor.” He replied. 

She crossed her arms considering how to frame it. “It’s going well. SHIELD leaks have led to Faustus’s infrastructure weakening enough to be something he has to address. My surgical strikes against Sarkissian have convinced her Faustus is attacking her. Give it another week of this chaos and she’ll bring me in to get rid of Faustus. And Faustus has already brought Bakshi in. Two months and you’ll be the Supreme Head of Hydra, Bakshi and I will be Heads in our own right.” 

“And neither of them will realize their being played?” He asked. 

Daisy’s lips twitched up. “Of course not, because Sarkissian knows her weapons, gangsters and poisons are outside my field of expertise. And Faustus knows Bakshi has no use for his nanobots, biological labs, or cloning programs. Which means unless they dream up Bakshi and I are allies and not enemies there’s no risk of it. And Bakshi and I hate each other. Our rivalry is infamous.” 

“Well reasoned. Impressive as always. It’s a waste of the work I’ve done to you over these long years.” He snipped at the tissue before pulling out the liver and dropping it into a corresponding dish. 

She spotted the tumor on the stomach of the body. “Waste? I was under the impression I had exceeded your expectations.” 

“Oh you have.” He looked up at her for the first time. “I found you, molded, grew, created you. You’re the closest thing I will likely ever have to a child.” Whitehall pulled off his gloves. “Do you know why Hydra will never fall?” 

Daisy raised an eyebrow. “Because we do what has to be done that no one else will do.” 

“Incorrect.” He began to roll his sleeves back down. “99.8% of humanity will do as ordered. I can hire a hundred individuals off the street and it’s nearly guaranteed that given the environment here, orders, and the motivation of a secure paycheck they’ll do any depraved thing I want.” 

She tilted her head slightly. “Humans suck, this isn’t news.” 

“We care about ourselves more than others. A comfortable life and what is the suffering of others to that? Self interest. You are a perfect example of it in action. Perhaps your most human attribute.” Whitehall buttoned his sleeves. “Hydra will always win, because we are humanities self interest made manifest.” 

Daisy nodded with a soft hum. “And I’ve survived, I’m the strongest being on the planet.” 

“And yet still beholden to me. Conquer your enemies, take the seat. But don’t forget the day is coming when I will use you. And it will be my crowning success.” He reached up cupping her cheek in one hand. “Go bring me VonStrucker’s head.”

Daisy held the mask in her hands. She’d known this day was coming. Theoretically at least. It didn’t bother her morals, or something like that. It just felt...well she was finally achieving her purpose. The mask in her hands was the Hydra skull. No tentacles, just the stylized partial skull as a mask. 

“What’s that?” Morse asked from where she was suiting up in field gear. 

Daisy touched her metal gauntlets. They were redundant now, but the armor was a false front of weakness that no longer existed. “Have you ever noticed the villains on this planet lack a certain level of panache? I mean no style at all. If your job is to inspire nightmares they’re not doing a good job.” 

“And the answer to who we’re striking?” Morse asked, she knew the rest of the team was listening in as they adjusted their tactical equipment. 

Daisy pulled the mask down, showing the mask of death that was now her’s. “We elevate the man who has led Hydra since Red Skull died to his rightful position.” 

////

Jemma sippd her coffee as she made her way to the team’s conference room. “Do you know why we got called in so early?” 

“You haven’t seen the news?” Kenneth hissed. “Whitehall released project World Killer on VonStrucker. It's not a done deal, but Whitehall will be Supreme Head of Hydra by the end of the week.” 

She felt a cold shiver. Daisy hadn’t come over last night. Not that it was unusual, but Daisy was at her apartment three nights a week most weeks. “Do you know anything else?” 

“His second castle is rubble, and two facilities in Russia and his largest base in Slovakia are flattened. Death count is being estimated at around three thousand. I mean this is the Supreme Head of Hydra’s bases. And they’re just gone. The World Killer should be back soon.” He sounded way too excited, to be talking about who were essentially their coworkers. 

Jemma spoke lowly. “But we’re all Hydra, why kill VonStrucker?” 

“Because VonStrucker lost to the Avengers. He lost, and Whitehall has a completed World Killer thanks to your serum stabilizing the regeneration ability in the subject.” Kenneth was practically brimming with excitement as they took their seats at the table. 

Kargaroff cleared his throat. “Attention, everyone.” He waved forward several security guards who were holding champaign. “We are here to celebrate the first wide scale success of the project we have poured so much time and effort into.” 

As they all accepted their flutes of champagne, the screen came up with photos from the operation. It was a lot of blood, and a lot of dead bodies, and standing tall as if she wasn’t the one causing it all, was who could only be Daisy. Only in a field suit, death mask, and gauntleted she looked every inch the World Killer. Jemma was going to be sick. 

Kargaroff spoke. “We have created the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. To us, and to breaking the bounds of science!” 

And Jemma raised her flute and drank with the rest of the team. But her eyes never left the monstrous version of the woman she knew displayed on the screen. The champagne tasted of ash. 

“Now, we are not done.” Kargaroff chuckled his mustache shaking with his good humor. “No instead we now enter a new stage of testing, one that we have spent so little time on. Transferring our creations abilities, duplicating them, making an army of sentient weapons on a scale that could conquer galaxies! Not even the stars will limit us.” 

Kenneth spoke up. “Do we have an approach we’re going to attempt?” 

“We do.” Kargaroff waved his hand to Richards. “Doctor Richards and Smith have advanced their mechanical incubation pods. Tomorrow we harvest the eggs from Subject 2. Then put them into storage till they can be inseminated and then gestated, creating a new army of super weapons for Hydra.” He raised his glass towards Jemma. “Of course without Doctor Simmons’s contributions we still wouldn’t be able to replicate abilities through the maternal line. Well done Doctor.” 

Jemma forced herself to smile, her lips stretching unnaturally as she brushed off the praise. The horrible praise. 

He continued on, oblivious to the horror he was inspiring in her. “Of course this will be labor intensive for us for a period of a few weeks but then we’ll have more time for other projects. We will be focusing on creating temporary weapons to act in support of our success. Weapons like this Donnie Gill. A new age is coming, and we’re creating it.” 

The rest of the room started to clap. Jemma felt like she was in molasses as she joined in. 

Jemma barely made it into the bathroom before she was puking into a toilet. The stomach acid and champagne mixed with coffee burned her tongue and gums as she spat it’s remnants into the toilet with the rest of her vomit. Her eyes burned from tears she was keeping back with sheer force of will. This was how Hydra won, and it was her fault. 

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, on her knees heaving into a ceramic toilet. But it couldn’t last forever. Straightening she flushed, and made her way to the mirror. Jemma rinsed her mouth out before washing her hands. She looked into her image in the mirror, her hands flat against the counter as she hunched over slightly. 

Jemma’s jaw tightened. With the serum she’d created Whitehall was one procedure away from having an army of unstoppable child soldiers. It would be the end of SHIELD, end of independent government. She knew how powerful Daisy was, she’d helped make her stronger. There wasn’t a government that could stop Whitehall. The Avengers might have a chance, it was unlikely. 

If she let this procedure go forward all was lost. Agent Morse was on Daisy’s team and wouldn’t be back for hours. If she went home for instructions from Coulson it would be too late by the time she was able to return to the office. Which meant it was on her. Jemma swallowed. If she was wrong….

Her hands tightened. No. She could do this. Jemma nodded to herself, and then she stepped out into the hallway. 

Jemma made her way straight to her labspace. She downloaded every file she had access to onto a usb drive. It wouldn’t spark any notice, at least not today. After all none of the security officers would want to bring her in for interrogation without approval from Daisy. Leaving the files to download, she moved to the sample fridge.

She quickly found the samples Daisy had given her of some of Sarkissian’s favorite blends. The mix of different deadly compounds ensured that treatment would be all but impossible. She carefully filled a syringe with a fast acting one and slipped it into her pocket. Then she carefully lifted the packet of powdered poison and slipped it into her sleeve. 

Jemma closed the sample fridge and turned smiling as she saw Kenneth walking over to her. “Did you need something Kenneth?” 

“Hmm.. Oh no, I was just wondering if you were ok. You look kinda pale?” He looked at her with friendly concern. "Do you need to go lie down?"

She stepped to the kitchenette and poured herself a cup of coffee only to pause, wrinkling her nose up. "This is at least a day old. You know what I'll get a new pot going." 

She dumped the old coffee and slipped the poison into the coffee ground jar while closing the lid. This fresh batch would be safe. But the next would kill the entire team. Jemma kept speaking, hoping no one noticed the slight shake in her voice. "And you're right, I think I'm fighting off a stomach flu. With how much is depending on tomorrow I might call it a day early."

"Do you want an immuno booster?" He frowned in concern, missing the slightly white powder in the grounds. 

Jemma smiled tightly. "I'll be fine, some orange juice, a nap and I'll be good as new. I'll just go log in with the Gill project. Thank you for worrying about me though."

"Of course. Us biochemists have to stick together right?" He nudged her gently.

She just gave him a tight smile and a nod before moving to her station, head slightly tilted so her hair would cover her face. Jemma knew her fellow scientists were monsters, but they were also people. If she could make it out of the building before she lost it, it would be a miracle. But she couldn't keep talking to the people she'd started to consider friends.

With practiced motions she closed up her station for the day. USB dropping into her pocket, she made for the door.

"Simmons!" Kargaroff bustled over to her. "Take care of yourself, we can't lose our rising star for the procedure tomorrow."

Her smile felt brittle. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Jemma forced herself not to walk faster than usual as she made her way to the elevator. As the elevator went down to floor sixteen, she gave herself a chance to just breathe. She could do this. 

Stepping out of the elevator she moved to Donnie Gill's cell. Her fingerprint and retinal scan opened the door. She felt pained as she saw him curled up in the fetal position. "Donnie?"

"Go away." He tightened in his ball.

She sighed and stepped over and sat at the end of his bed. If she was lucky, no one was listening to the microphone in the room. "Are you yourself, or are you compliant today?"

"Don't make me comply. I don't want to comply." His voice was hoarse as he cried for the torture to stop. But it had answered his question.

Jemma hated herself for what she was about to do. "When the next doctor comes in, inject this into them." She slid the syringe of poison into his pants leg. "I know how smart you are, so listen to what I'm telling you. Once the next doctor is incapacitated, you will have sixty seconds to get out of the door. You have to take the doctor's lab coat. Go to floor two, it's low security. Jump out a window and then run. Ok you have to run and never look back."

He shivered, but his eyes were focused on her. "You're Hydra."

"I really should have paid more attention in ops lectures." She squeezed his calf. "Take care Donnie." And then she was up and out of the room. She had to get out now.

No one stopped her as she left. It was just polite waves and nods. No one seemed to notice her hands were sweating, heart racing, and pure terror fueling her. As soon as she was two blocks away she texted Daisy.

Then she tossed her cellphone into a public trash can. Her cover was gone. If she was lucky she had a few hours before they realized and a strike team came to collect her. 

It was funny as she grabbed her evac pack and stuffed every sample she'd filched, USB drive and laminate paper into the bag, how little of this apartment mattered. The right thing to do would be to call Coulson. But he would never approve of what she was planning. So she just stuck her burner phone and the hologram cube into the bag and zipped it closed. She paused and then stuck the pen Daisy had given her into the bag as well

Jemma stopped and eyed the kitchen. Now to turn this into a surgical suite. She could do this.

Jemma startled at the sound of a knock on her door. She was up and to the door in seconds. Her whole body breathed out as she saw Daisy. Jemma grabbed Daisy’s leather jacket and hauled her into the apartment. Shutting and locking the door she let her head rest against the door for a second. 

“Jemma?” Daisy’s hand was on her shoulder. “Are you ok? What’s going on.” 

She let herself be turned around, and stepped into Daisy. Jemma rested her head on Daisy’s shoulder. She needed, desperately to cry, for Daisy to tell her it was going to be alright, but her duty kept her to just shuddering against her girlfriend. Biting her lower lip she wrestled control back. 

Jemma took a step back. “I can get your kill switch out of the back of your head. I pulled up it’s specs a week ago, using Kargaroff’s login.” 

“No.” Daisy stepped back, her face hardening. 

It hurt, she’d never seen Daisy look at her with disdain. “There’s a new procedure scheduled for tomorrow. I can’t let you go through with it because you have a slave chip in the back of your neck and I can’t… you need free will.” 

“You want me to trust you with a kill switch?” Daisy crossed her arms, rocking further back on her heels. “I wasn’t born yesterday. Everyone wants access to it, and I don’t give access to it. Good for you getting the schematics, that's more than most manage.” 

Jemma cringed at the obvious hurt in Daisy’s posture and voice. She had...fuck. “I’m not another Hydra scientist taking some bribe from someone else to hand them, you on a silver platter. I’m not even Hydra.” 

Daisy stilled completely. “What?” 

“I’m a SHIELD agent.” Jemma grabbed the door handle behind her to keep herself upright. “I’m a spy, or well I’m actually a scientist but they needed someone with my credentials to go undercover and I volunteered. Which was insane because I am not a good spy, I think i’ve broken every rule in the book now. Sleep with the enemy, tell the enemy you’re a spy, break cover without orders, I’m a terrible liar, forgotten informational laminates in my desk, just...I know I’ve given my handler conniptions.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m trying to say that I want to help you.” 

Daisy’s mouth opened slightly only to close. She crossed her arms over her chest as she scoffed. “So what, SHIELD wants to either kill me or control me. Either way not happening.” 

“I’m not...yes my boss would have asked me to use our proximity to kill you if he thought I was capable of cold blooded assassination.” Jemma was jittery, she could feel the slight shake in her hands, the nauseous feeling in her stomach. “They’re going to harvest your eggs.” 

Daisy’s face scrunched in confusion. “I may be alien but I’m not that alien.” 

“You’re human Daisy, in all the ways that matter and in most of the ways that don’t.” Jemma corrected automatically. “And not eggs like a chicken. Your ovaries which…. You know that. I know you know that because you may not have a degree but you have at least a certified labtech’s level of knowledge on the subject. More so on your own personal biology. Which means you knew.” 

Daisy stilled for a half second before nodding. “It was an inevitable eventuality. When I was sixteen it was proposed I carry a child before the project was scrapped due to being impractical.” She shrugged. “There aren’t a lot of Inhumans, and finding them is expensive and leaves a trail. Breeding more was always the plan.” 

“Those would be your children, thousands of them.” Jemma spoke slowly. 

Daisy shrugged. “Not really, I wouldn’t carry them, they’d be lobotomized by nanobots or Bakshi before they were two. An army of non-sentient bio-organic Inhuman soldiers. It’s better than the other options really.” 

“But don’t you see it doesn’t have to happen!” Jemma stepped forward, grabbing Daisy’s bicep. “You could leave, do anything you wanted. Be a hacker, or anything. You wouldn’t have to undergo procedures that are designed to torture you. To follow orders from someone who killed... “ She cut herself off. They hadn’t discussed it, and for good reason, the identity of Subject 1.

Daisy shook her head. “Look none of this changes the fact I’m not going to let you slice into my brainstem and touch my kill switch. Surprisingly honest about lies or not. You certainly can’t come into work tomorrow. I mean fuck, SHIELD?” 

“Stop!” Jemma pressed a hand to her stomach. “I’m trying to help you because I’m in love with you.” 

Silence. A deafening silence sucked what felt like the air out of the room. Daisy’s eyes widened as she stared at Jemma in something akin to the early stages of medical shock. 

Jemma tipped her chin up. “It's illogical, and if I was any sort of competent at being undercover should never have happened. It was surprisingly easy to fall in love with you. You’re funny, and sweet, completely ridiculous, and I’m in love with you and I can’t stand by while you’re tortured. I can’t. You shouldn’t have to accept horrific sacrifices and violation of your basic human autonomy just because you’re special.” She could feel tears building and Jemma knew she couldn’t afford to shed them. “Please, let me take it out.” 

“Ok.” 

Jemma disinfected the area around the implant. It was around the size of a bullet casing. The blue lights lit up with Daisy’s heart rate. She gently ran her thumb along it’s edge. “I only have a topical pain ointment and some tylenol.” 

“Already took the tylenol Doc.” Daisy’s voice quiet though, her back open to Jemma, as she sat, her head bent forward and hair pulled back. 

She laid a hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry this will hurt.” Jemma picked up the scalpel with one hand, her other hand spread across the back of Daisy’s neck, ensuring the kill switch didn’t move while she was cutting it out. 

The initially incision was neat, Daisy didn’t even twitch from it. Jemma carefully used a bent fork from her kitchen to retract the skin. She then continued to cut deeper. She peeled apart the muscle and tissue till she reached the vertebrae. Picking up a pair of sharpened tweezers, she slid them in and snipped the anchoring wire keeping the switched attached to the bone. Pulling the tweezers out she set them down on the table and sighed. “Ok, it’s not attached to the bone, I need to detach it from the rest of your tissue now. Once that’s done I can do the difficult part.” 

“Difficult part.” Daisy sighed. “I’m guessing this is the part that’s about to be really painful.” 

Jemma picked the scalpel back up. “I’m sorry. With it’s placement I can’t go fast.” 

“Ok.” Daisy replied. 

She began to cut again. It wasn’t technically difficult, but knowing she was cutting into the woman she loved, god damn it, made it take up her entire focus. And yet here, with a scalpel in her hand, removing Daisy’s kill switch she felt more in control and at ease than she had in months. Since Hydra. 

Jemma started to talk as she disconnected the flesh from the device. “My name really is Jemma Simmons, and I do love deep sea documentaries. Specialities are the same, used my whole background. Agent May didn’t think I could keep up with a fake background. She was probably right.” 

“Why go undercover then?” Daisy asked. “You said you volunteered. Why?” 

She smiled as she worked. “My partner in SHIELD, his name is Fitz. He’s my best friend. We went to the academy together, the smartest kids in every class. He’s an engineer and the things we made were fantastic. It was all exciting and new horizons. I volunteered us for a mobile field unit and we got in. Cutting edge research, and it felt like we were saving the world. And then Hydra happened. Our team specialist was Agent Grant Ward. He dropped Fitz and I in a cage to the bottom of the ocean.” 

“The deep sea documentaries.” Daisy, hissed as the scalpel continued to cut. 

Jemma set the scalpel aside and then gently pulled the kill switch out of the incision. There were twenty fillimental attachments feeding into the spinal cord. She swallowed, this was the dangerous part. “It’s out, now I get to disconnect.”

With a frown she began to untangle the filaments. “Fitz and I escaped. But he didn’t tell me till the last moment before we blew the window out there was only enough air for one of us. And I was the better swimmer. He’s brain damaged.”

“And so you came to Hydra? What, need revenge?” Daisy asked, her voice slightly glib, but it was missing the typical strength her voice usually held. 

Jemma hummed as she carefully cut one of the filaments and began to unthread it. “I needed to be useful. Me being around was making Fitz’s recovery harder. To me he is my best friend, my brother from another mother. But he was in love with me and it hurt him. So I needed away from SHIELD headquarters, to do something. I was helpless when we were under the ocean. I was helpless when I wanted to stop feeling that way.” 

Daisy let out a low whine. “That feels deeply weird.” 

“Just a few more to unthread.” Jemma carefully switched out for a narrower pair of sharpened tweezers. “This would be easier if it was color coded.” 

Daisy spoke slowly. “I was sixteen when I convinced Whitehall to put me in ops training. I was good at it. But..you’re lucky you have your friends, a team.” She paused before speaking. “I’ve met Agent Grant Ward.” 

“If I ever have the chance I’ll kill him.” Jemma could feel her hatred about it. 

Daisy made a slight noise. “You hate him for being Hydra, but you chose to do the same thing as him.” 

“I’m part of an international spy organization. It’s not that he was a plant, it’s that we were a family. He didn’t betray his coworkers, he betrayed us and we were more than just a coworker you have coffee with and talk about weather with.” Jemma untangled and removed another filament. “I get why there’s the rule about not sleeping with the enemy.” 

Daisy made a sound that would be laughter if her head wasn’t bent in half and she wasn’t holding as still as possible. “You did try, badly, to avoid hooking up with me.” 

“You’re unfairly attractive.” She snipped another one. “And I was ethically compromised as soon as I started to care for you.” 

Daisy’s voice had an audible grin in it. “You were pretty adorable gaping at my breasts, and you really have a thing for abs.” 

“Your tattoo, the one that’s not a geometric design to cover scar tissue, why is it the only one that’s different?” Jemma asked, she’d been curious about it for ages. And well, it didn’t feel horrifically invasive considering she’d just laid her life and heart in Daisy’s hands. She was also currently unconnecting a kill switch from Daisy’s brainstem. 

Daisy was silent for a long minute. “My mother’s name was Jiaying. She was a good person, Chinese, and when she saw me first the time she cried. I had five years with her before the transplant. I loved her, it felt right to mark it into my skin.” 

“I’m sorry.” Jemma carefully unlooped the last filament. She set her tools aside and then carefully, ever so carefully pulled the kill switch out. “It’s out.” 

Daisy hummed. “So what next?” 

“No, it’s out.” Jemma reached out grabbing the two mirrors she’d grabbed out of the bathroom just for this. She handed one to Daisy and held the other up, reflecting the empty incision. “I just have to stitch it up.” 

Daisy trembled slightly, as she shifted the mirror. Her voice was thick. “It’s gone.” 

“I can keep the mirror here with my chin...it’ll be slightly awkward, but you can watch me stitch it back up.” Jemma offered softly. 

Daisy swallowed. “Yes.”

“Ok.” It took a minute to wedge the mirror between her chin and her chest. And then Jemma started to clean and then stitch up the incision. It didn’t need to be done perfectly, or in such a way to last. It just needed to hold till the regeneration could heal it by morning. 

Jemma pulled her latex gloves off, and then she leaned back. She didn’t say anything, she just watched. 

Daisy’s fingers reached up, trembling slightly as she touched the incision. She sat upright, hand still on the back of her neck. Her eyes met Jemma’s and then she moved. 

Jemma gasped into Daisy’s mouth, and then whimpered as she felt hands grabbing her hips and then she was being pressed onto the table. 

Jemma took a bite of the ice-cream, her head leaning against Daisy’s shoulder. “You should come with me?” 

“What?” Daisy shifted slightly, taking a large scoop out of the carton. 

Jemma tapped Daisy’s spoon out of the way, reloading her own spoon. “Well I kinda blew my cover, I have to call in a SHIELD evac before morning. SHIELD could help you disappear.” 

“Why would I want to disappear?” Daisy pulled back, dislodging Jemma’s head looking at her curiously. “I’m free, not Whitehall’s pet which means no more procedures. My path is clear. I’ll be a Head of Hydra by tomorrow night. Without new organ transplants Whitehall will start deteriorating in another five years. I replace him and am Supreme Head of Hydra in six years. Why would I walk away from that?” 

Jemma stilled, her blood felt cold. “You’re going back?” 

“Unlimited power, no more slave chip to Whitehall, what’s the downside?” Daisy set the ice-cream to the side and then shifted, so she was straddling Jemma. “You could come work for me, choose your cases, even make it ethical just no red tape. Cure cancer if you want.” 

“I’m not Hydra.” Jemma shook her head, oh she felt sick again. 

Daisy ran a thumb along Jemma’s cheek bone. “But I am.” She sighed. “And you never will be will you?” 

“I’m a SHIELD agent, that...that means something.” Jemma could feel the tears coming. And it burned, god it burned. Morse and Coulson had been right. God she’d made such a fool of herself. Yes she’d been right that Daisy didn’t want to keep being a test subject. And the army of tiny Daisy lab experiments was off the table probably. But Daisy was still Hydra, she was still part of the army of evil. A leader inside of it. She’d just helped free the future Supreme Head. A person who stood for everything Jemma didn’t. 

Daisy leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You’re a good person Jemma Simmons. I’m not, I’m sorry, really.” She stood up and began to pull her clothing back on. “Don’t worry, I won’t report you. You’re not destined for a Hydra interrogation cell.” 

Jemma stared at the floor she was sitting on. She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m an idiot.” 

“You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.” Daisy squatted in front of her, wrapping a throw blanket around her shoulders. “You’re just too kind. So you see the best in people, even when it’s not there.” 

Jemma didn’t say anything, but she could feel the tears. They were hot and she couldn’t stop them. 

The door closed and she sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....sorry


	8. Daisy Does What She Wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma really should never have been sent under cover. And Daisy has nothing stopping her from getting exactly what she always wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a fun ride! I'll probably have something new in this fandom up and updating by next friday. I have a feeling I'll be hanging out in this fandom for a while. I have feelings after that finale. Like so many feelings.

Bobbie pressed her ear against the apartment door. No sound, no light under the door either. She reached out to test the doorknob. It struck a blow of terror when it turned, no lock, no sticking, just easy turning. She slid through the slight opening of the door, gun first. 

Her eyes stopped on the figure on the couch. There was a single side lamp on. It's Glow softly illuminating the apartment. The kitchen was a disaster, bloody towel, bloody paper towels, and what looked like homemade surgical equipment scattered across the floor. A half melted carton of ice cream oozing onto the floor. 

But sitting on the couch, hunched in on herself was Simmons. She was clearly alive though, hair back into an uncharacteristically tight ponytail.

Bobbie kept her eyes open as she approached Simmons. "Simmons you sent out an SOS?"

Simmons didn't so much as twitch.

She was truly alarmed by this point. She crouched in front of Simmons and felt her concern ratchet up. The scientist's face was blank, but the red puffy eyes told a story. 

"Agent Report." Bobbie ordered.

Simmons finally moved, that slight stiffness from sitting in one place for too long made it more of a jerk. "We have to get out, my covers blown."

"Ok, can you walk?" Bobbie didn't see any signs of injury, but the kitchen said someone had had surgery of some kind performed on them. 

Simmons nodded. "Yes of course, I'm more than capable of walking."

“We need to move.” Bobbie grabbed under Simmons’s shoulder and dragged the woman up to her feet. 

Simmons grabbed a go bag and slung it over her shoulder. She gave a slight nod, and then fell into step behind Bobbie. 

For her part, Bobbie was getting distinctly freaked out. But she had a clear goal, and she was going to complete it. Then freak out. She moved back for the door, they needed to get to the roof. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. 

“The roof?” Simmons just gave a brief nod. “Hydra won’t be here for at least another five hours.” She stepped around Bobbie and made her way out the door, walking without a bit of caution. 

Bobbie stayed alert as they moved through the silent hall, and then the silent stairwell. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as Simmons walked into the invisible quintet. It was too exposed. But she darted across the roof and into the quinjet anyway. 

As the doors shut Agent May must have seen something in her face because the woman was instantly slipping back into the cockpit. 

Bobbie didn't breathe easy till they were in the air. Finally she turned to Simmons, who was just sitting in a jump seat. "What happened back there?"

"We were safe. Daisy said she wouldn't send anyone till after we'd had time to leave." Jemma's voice sounded dead.

She carefully sat down next to the scientist. "Daisy.. Johnson knows?" Bobbie swallowed down her instinctive panic. The nightmare of a Hydra Commander couldn't hit a quinjet with it's cloaking on. Especially not now that they were reaching altitude.

Jemma nodded. "It doesn't matter now."

Bobbie paused. "Your apartment, Johnson was there?" She waited for the responding nod. "I'm really sorry."

Because the thing was Bobbie could get a rough gist of what had happened. There'd been a fight in the kitchen, some blood but nothing a few stitches wouldn't take care of so it certainly hadn't gotten out of hand. But Hydra Commander days away from stealing a Head position wouldn't take failure well. And your lover being SHIELD was a failure. Not to mention for all the woman was evil, Bobbie new Johnson wasn't a psychopath like Whithall. 

"She told you to run?" Bobbie sighed as the pieces fell together. 

Jemma cleared her throat. “She wanted me to go back to Hydra, to work for her. Act like SHIELD was just… She wanted me to be Hydra. For real.” 

“She…” Bobbie sucked in a breath. That was fuck. She reached out and hesitated before letting her hand fall back. “Sim.. Jemma, that is...people in Commander Johnson’s position are… She had to have cared very much for you.” She sighed, Jemma knew. But the truth was it didn’t matter how much Commander Johnson loved Simmons. It didn’t, because people in Johnson’s position couldn’t be turned. Because their loyalty to their cause came before everything. It was their very identity, down to their bones. 

They both sat in silence. The rest could wait till the official briefing. But Bobbie hurt for the woman besides her. Simmons should never have been put in a position like this. Somehow it was worse knowing that Simmons’s hadn’t just been used by a monster. She’d made a genuine connection with a monster. It was real. And it would hurt all the more for it. But there was nothing Bobbie could do to help with that. 

Bobbie came to the end of her report. “I received an SOS text four hours after having returned from the destruction of VonStucker’s main facility and his muder. I sent in the appropriate request for extraction and then went directly to Agent Simmons’s apartment. Once there I secured Agent Simmons and we made it successfully to the extraction point without incident.” 

“Good.” Coulson looked at Jemma like he would rather be wrapping her in a fuzzy blanket and bundling her off to safety then asking her to report. But he was the Director. “Simmons what happened, you missed your drop.” 

Jemma shuddered, and then she started to speak, her eyes on the floor. “I arrived at the lab at nine am as usual. Roberts in security told me I was to report to the conference room instead of the lab first thing. It wasn’t that unusual so I made my way there when Kenneth told me about the World Killer attack. Kargaroff had champagne, it was a celebration for the unveiling of our new super weapon. He then briefed us on the next stage of project World Killer and what our future tasks would loosely be.” She swallowed thickly. 

“There was to be a procedure tomorrow...or later today now, and I couldn’t let it go forward.” Jemma’s hands clenched in her lap. “The procedure was to remove Da...Johnson’s ovaries so that her eggs could be fertilized and then incubated to create an army of thousands of Inhuman weapons. It would use my serum to stabilize and transfer powers. Which because of how I made it can only be done through a matrilineal line. With the nanobot and Bakshi’s mind control, as well as kill switches, it would have made Hydra capable of conquering the universe within fifteen years. Theoretically of course.” 

Bobbie sucked in a startled breath. Adrenaline was suddenly making her twitchy. Because dear god, there was no hope if that program got off the ground. Just one Johnson was making the survival of SHIELD a long shot at best. But an army of them? 

Jemma continued. “I knew what was at stake. There wasn’t time to wait for Agent Morse to return, or to contact you Sir. So I acted.” 

“What did you do?” Coulson asked softly. 

The scientist seemed to curl ever so slightly into herself. “I went back to the lab, I closed up my space, and downloaded everything from the computers that I had access to, onto a usb. I knew security wouldn’t check with Officers Weber and Morse gone and no one would bring me in for interrogation without Da..Johnson’s approval. Then I secured the liquid and powdered poisons Daisy...Johnson gave me.” 

“She gave you poison?” Coulson asked slowly. He shared a surprised look with Bobbie. Though for Bobbie considering what Jemma had said on the plane, maybe not that much of a surprise. 

Jemma kept talking, her voice ever so hoarse. “It was… well she did. I put the usb and the syringe of poison in my lab pocket. Then made a new pot of coffee for the lab to cover mixing the neurotoxin compound into the coffee grounds for the lab.” She didn’t flinch at the startled hisses from Bobbie and Coulson. “I then excused myself for the day due to not feeling well. I’d already thrown up in the bathroom, it wasn’t suspicious. I then passed the syringe to Donnie Gill and told him what his only chance of getting out was. After that I made my way to my apartment.” 

“Why not call for an evac then?” Coulson asked slowly. “It couldn’t have been later than eleven.” 

Jemma shook her head. “It wouldn’t have helped. Whitehall could have done the surgery. Even if the entire World Killer team dies it’ll delay the inevitable a few days at best. So I texted ...Johnson.” She licked at her lips nervously then. “I then prepared the kitchen for surgery as best I could. And packed my go bag.” 

“Surgery?” Bobbie suddenly had a really bad feeling about what came next. 

She nodded. “I thought she… it was a mistake. I told her I could remove the kill switch.” And now Jemma was speaking fast like she couldn’t bear it if she was interrupted before she got it all out. “I needed her to trust me. So I told her I was a SHIELD agent, that I was stupid and in love with her and I just… She let me remove the kill switch. I thought... she was so relieved to have it out. She wasn’t a slave to Whitehall. It was alright, but then well. She’s going to be a Head of Hydra by the end of today. Next Supreme Head after Whitehall in five years minimum. She asked me to come with her. Be Hydra for real. Do science as ethically as I liked. Cure cancer if I wanted to. But with Hydra, in Hydra. I couldn’t… She said she’d make sure I had time to get out. And then she left.” Jemma made a slightly broken noise. 

Coulson spoke slowly. “Do you believe Johnson will allow her ovaries to be harvested now that she’s no longer under Whitehall’s control?” 

“No. She’d accepted it as an eventual certainty. But she...she cares about family.” Jemma swallowed thickly. 

Bobbie shared a look with Coulson. 

He spoke gently. “You did well Simmons. We’ll want to go over your intell more. It can wait till after you’ve gotten some sleep and a hot meal.” 

May stepped forward. “Your bunk is exactly how you left it.” 

Jemma nodded, and then allowed herself to be led away by the woman. 

Bobbie looked at Coulson as the door closed. “What do you think sir?” 

“I think we’re incredibly lucky. But I also think you and Simmons did good work.” He sighed. “I’m sorry you were put in the position you were.” 

She unbuttoned the top of her jacket. “You’re going to get Simmons therapy?” 

“If she’ll accept it.” Coulson straightened. “I’ll expect your full written report by this evening. For now you need sleep and food at much as anyone. Hydra will keep for a few days.” 

Bobbie nodded, and then left the room. What else was there to say about this fucking wreck of a somehow useful mission. They’d gotten the intel. But...well wasn’t that their job, the ‘but’ at the end of explanations. 

“What the hell are you doing here?!” A distinctly British voice yelped as she left the office. 

Bobbie looked at her ex-husband. “Hi Hunter.” 

Two days, it had been two days since they’d returned and frankly it was… well it was good to be back at SHIELD. To feel safe, to not be guarded all the time. Her own personality wasn’t a threat here. Her hair was blonde again, she’d enjoyed the arguing with Hunter. This felt like home. Or well as home as a place felt to her anymore. But for all it was a relief for her, it wasn’t for Simmons. 

Bobbie approached the scientist where she was sitting in the lounge. “Hey.” 

“Morning Bobbie.” Jemma gave her a tight smile as she looked up from her hands.

She walked over to the minikitchen and poured two cups of coffee, adding creamer to Jemma’s, before walking back over to where Jemma was just sitting on the shitty couch. Bobbie set Jemma’s down on the salvaged coffee table. “You’re dressed, showered, better than I was two days out from my first FUBAR undercover.” 

“Did you fall in love with the second in command in an army of evil?” Jemma asked dryly. “And find you’re still in love with them even if they are still evil which is ridiculous, illogical and miserable.” 

Bobbie winced slightly. “No.” She huffed. “I tripped and fell through a drug dealers tropical fish tank, cut my arm open, bled on the target, almost got mauled by a tiger, and then I shot Clint in the ass when he came through the window to bail me out.” 

“Sounds hectic.” Jemma didn’t look up from where she was turning her pen around in her fingers.

She took a sip of her coffee, balancing her elbows on her knees. “Give it time.”

I don't think time will make how stupid I've been any better." Jemma gave her a look. "I hate that I keep wishing we were still undercover."

"For what it's worth I don't think anyone realized Johnson was capable of loving another person." She held her hand up before Jemma could try to defend Johnson. "People like her are hard because they have to be. They're the ones that you can't save, but it's not entirely their own fault. Kidnapped, tortured, slave chip. Johnson did what she had to to survive. And that you connected with what humanity hadn't been burned out of her is admirable. But it was too late. And that's not your fault, or even her fault."

Jemma spoke, her voice hoarse. "I thought she would leave. Not join SHIELD or anything, but leave."

"She loved you as much as people like that are capable. More than I'd thought possible. Hang onto that." Bobbie considered the woman besides her. "I can't make you feel better. But I can teach you to throw a punch. If you're going out into the field you should probably know some self defence. And punching a bag always makes me less depressed."

"I'd like that." Jemma set her pen down on the table and picked up the cup of coffee. "You know she gave me that pen. Well slid it into my back pocket and said something about knowing I'd be secure with a bit of her there. Which is ridiculous because it's a pen, but it was also rather sweet."

Bobbie stilled. "Have you ever opened that pen?"

"Why would I open it?" Jemma looked at her with a slight furrow in her brow.

Bobbie would have replied if that wasn't the moment the entire base started to shake. She grabbed the pen, twisting it open and dumping it's contents on the table. And there, next to the ink cartridge was a GPS tag. It was so stupid. Any trained agent would have never taken a gift from a mission back to base. But of course Jemma wasn't trained for undercover. And a persistent quake like this had one cause.

Jemma uttered one word. "Daisy." And then she was on her feet and running out of the room.

It took Bobbie a second to swear in four different languages while grabbing a gun, before she was running to the front entrance to the base. 

Lights were flashing, the siren blaring as every combat certified agent scuttled out and tried to find what the emergency was. Worse the non combat rated agents were ducking under tables. Not that any of this would help.

Bobbie's steps felt drunk as she ran through the rolling hallway. She half tripped out the secure door when the earthquake stopped as suddenly as it had started. 

She raised her gun in a fluid motion as she, and every other SHIELD agent who'd made it outside, saw their...attacker?

Standing in the middle of the mostly empty and overgrown runway was Commander Johnson. The woman was wearing her Hydra dress uniform, but the jacket was unbuttoned, her hands stuffed in her pockets, and oddly enough an ice chest at her feet.

“Yo.” Johnson held up a hand in greeting.

Coulson spoke, his gun very much steadily held up. "You've got our attention. Did you come for the tour? Because we don't offer those to Hydra."

Johnson cleared her throat looking straight at Jemma. "I uh… kinda… do you think it's too late for an apology? Cause I'm kind of in love with you too Jemma Simmons."

////

Two Days Earlier

Daisy sat on the floor of her living room and waited. She needed to know for sure SHIELD hadn't found a way to collar her. She needed to be 100% certain she truly was free. Everything in her screamed that she was. But that didn't make it so. If Jemma had lied, unlikely, they would pull the trigger as soon as Jemma had a chance to report back. 

So she waited. The sun rose, her clock told her it was time to go into work, and yet she felt nothing. Finally, with agonizingly slow movements she reached up and touched the back of her neck. It was healed. Jemma hadn’t lied, it wasn’t a trap. There was no new collar and leash or death sentence. She was free. 

Free to do whatever she wanted. 

Daisy dressed automatically, fed herself, and prepared for what she knew she would do. She could feel her emotions washing through her, just under the surface. She was free. And there was something she’d wanted but never dared dream she could have. But it was hers now. She snapped her side arm into place and closed the door behind her. 

Daisy stared at the dead scientists in the World Killer lab. Huh, she hadn’t thought Jemma had it in her. The blue tinge around their mouths was distinctive. She turned to Officer Weber. “Call in the personnel for this facility. I want every single individual that is part of this facility in this building within the hour.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Weber was pale as he looked at the dead bodies. “Doctor Simmons left early feeling ill yesterday. Should I send someone to…” He trailed off clearly not wanting to say that her body would need to be secured. 

Daisy’s jaw tightened. “I’ll do it. Now get out and call in the troops.” 

He saluted and then disappeared as quickly as possible. 

She used her foot to shift Kargaroff’s head. Not what she’d expected that poison to be used for. And surprisingly good cover for an evac. She sneered at the corpse of the man who’d sliced her open over a hundred times. Turning on her heel she made her way to Bakshi’s office. She had work to do. 

Everyone melted out of her way. It was far more distinctive than usual. Huh, Jemma’s gambit was assisting Daisy’s day in ways the woman hadn’t expected. They all assumed Jemma was dead, and no one wanted to anywhere near the fall out of Daisy losing her favorite. Surprisingly level of awareness and self preservation instincts.

Daisy didn’t bother with knocking, she just burst into Bakshi’s office. She shut the door firmly behind her. “Bakshi.” 

“Your lack of manners continues I see.” He turned and then paused. “What-” he never finished his question. 

She watched dispassionately as the man collapsed, blood leaking out of his ears. Daisy paused staring at him for a long moment. Her hatred of him felt hollow, because he was never the person she hated with every fiber of her being. Nodding to herself she turned and left.

Daisy stepped into Whitehall’s office. “Daniel.” 

“Excuse me?” Whitehall looked up.

She stepped to his drink cabinet and poured herself a few fingers of scotch. The expensive stuff that Whitehall only brought for meetings where he wanted to show off. “You’re a monster.” 

“Are you drunk?” He stood up. “Or maybe poisoned as well.” Whitehall frowned as he started to step towards her. 

Daisy created the slightest of vibrational pushes to keep Whitehall from moving closer to her. “I’m not poisoned, it was in the lab. If I had to guess the coffee.” 

“Are you forgetting your place?” He asked, raising a single brow. 

She took a mouthful of the scotch. “Jemma Simmons is really quite brilliant you know.” 

“The scientist? Isn’t she dead in the lab with the others?” He seemed to pause. “You aren’t upset about losing some plaything are you?” 

Daisy snorted. “She’s very much alive, SHIELD picked her up hours ago.” 

“SHIELD?” He was starting to look distinctly uneasy. 

She sipped at her drink. “Hmm… you certainly have been overestimating them for years only to underestimate them for once. Simmons removed the kill switch.” 

“What.” Whitehall stared at her, but his face had paled ever so slightly. 

Daisy raised her gun and fired. 

Whitehall grabbed his desk to keep from falling to the ground. His right knee a bloody mess. A cry of pain escaping his mouth. 

“I considered killing you with my abilities, you know. But then I decided against it.” Daisy shot out his second knee. She watched as he hit the floor, both kneecaps only so much shattered mush. “But then I knew you’d hate to die by being shot with a common gun. I suppose congratulations are in order, for the shortest reign as Supreme Head of Hydra.” 

He groaned and coughed from his place on the ground. “So you mean to supplant me.” 

“No, I thought about it, but then why? I never cared about the whole control of the idiot masses thing. I’m not a true believer. But then I thought I do want vengeance.” 

Whitehall dragged himself into a sitting position. “I created you. You owe me everything.” 

“I do.” She raised her gun. “You should have considered that when you killed my mom.” Daisy squeezed her finger. She unloaded the entire clip into the man. 

Daisy tossed back the rest of her tumbler of scotch. She set her gun aside and then stepped to his surgical bag. 

Daisy looked up from Whitehall’s desk as Weber stepped into the room. She watched in amusement as he froze, clearly spotting Whitehal’s severed head, sitting in the decorative bowl Whitehall used to keep on his shelf. She cleared her throat. “You’ve called everyone in?” 

“Yes Ma’am.” His eyes ripped away from Whitehall’s head. 

She closed her eyes, feeling her powers reaching out, the resonance of every single person in the facility. And then she twitched her fingers, and every living person in the facility’s brains turned to mush. 

////

Jemma ignored the guns, the tension and just stared at Daisy standing there. Daisy had a duffle bag hanging off one shoulder, and just she was there. She felt like she’d been punched in the gut as Daisy spoke. 

“I uh… kinda… do you think it’s too late for an apology? Cause I’m kind of in love with you too Jemma Simmons.” Daisy uttered, staring straight at her. 

Jemma took a startled step forward. But she needed...she needed to know. “And Power?” 

“Never really cared for it that much.” Daisy shifted awkwardly. “But I had to know it was gone.” 

She paused, the kill switch. Jemma took a step forward, ignoring the panicked looks on the faces of the SHIELD personnel around her. 

“And then well I did have some unfinished business to take care of.” Daisy shuffled half a step forward. “But um…”

Jemma swallowed. “What did you do Daisy?” 

“Uh…” Daisy shoved the icebox forward and kicked the lid open with her foot. “Figure it was better than flowers as an apology.” 

Jemma blinked as she saw Whitehall’s head in the box. And it was… “You killed Whitehall.” 

“I killed them all.” Daisy replied.

Jemma understood suddenly. Daisy had accepted freedom, and she’d used it. Jemma ran forward and collided with Daisy with a burst of a laugh of sheer relief. Daisy’s arms wrapped tightly around her and it was solid and warm. 

Daisy held her tightly to her, her voice hoarse as she murmured in her ear. “Thank you.”


End file.
